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THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES 






































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THE 


PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES 


BY / 

CHARLES LEE 'SLEIGHT 

n 


Illustrated bg 

AMY M. SACKER 



BOSTON 

L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY 

(incorporated) 

1897 

A. 







■S3*) 

fil 


Copyright , i8gy 
L. C. Page and Company 

(incorporated) 


(Colonial ^'Jrcss: 

Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. 
Boston, Mass., U, S. A. 



CHAPTER. 

I. Where the pins go 

• 

• 

• 

• 


PAGE 

1 

ii. 

Taken prisoner 

• 

• 

• 

• 


13 

hi. 

Pursued . 

• 

• 

• 

• 


24 

IV. 

A trip to the Gnomes . 

• 

• 

• 


3 2 

V. 

Caught in a trap . 

• 

• 

• 

• 


41 

VI. 

The tables turned 

• 

• 

• 

• 


5 1 

VII. 

A new King . 

• 

• 

• 

• 


61 

VIII. 

The Passage of the 

Toad 

• 

• 

• 


73 

IX. 

A perilous trip 

• 

• 

• 

• 


84 

X. 

The three jewels . 

• 

• 

• 

• 


95 

XI. 

The secret door . 

• 

• 

• 

• 


108 

XII. 

A mighty battle . 

• 

• 

• 

• 


123 

XIII. 

In the dark . 

• 

• 

• 

• 


T 34 

XIV. 

Surprised 

• 

• 

• 

• 


140 

XV. 

On top 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

148 









y- ‘“Please give me back my iiat’” 

/“ Harry . . . sat down on the edge of the 


COUCH”. 17 

/ “ He began a long whispered conversation ” . 35 

Wamby eagerly seized the pin, and . . . 

PRESSED UPON IT.”. 53 

He PUT THE . . . JEWELS ... IN A LITTLE BOX . 69 

>/ “‘Then let us fall to without delay’” . 89 

/ON THE WARDROBE Ill 

/ “‘SMITHKIN! RUN TO HELP WAMBY! ’ ” . . 131 

^ “ HE . . . PLACED THE LITTLE TOAD ON THE 

GROUND”. 157 





















V 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


CHAPTER I. 

WHERE THE PINS GO. 

“I wonder where all the pins go,” said 
Harry to himself, as he examined the lapel of 
his coat, where he was sure he had stuck two or 
three that very morning. 

Of course Harry was not the first boy who 
had thus wondered, but it was the first time 
the question had ever occurred to him. If he 
wanted a pin the only sure place to find one was 
on his mother’s cushion, because that was kept 
filled with new ones. But what became of all the 
old ones ? He himself would sometimes lose 
several in a day, and yet he hardly ever found 
one, no matter how carefully he might look. 

Just now, however, he saw one lying in the 
path before him, and was about to pick it 



2 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


up, when suddenly it vanished from sight. He 
rubbed his eyes and looked again, but it was 
certainly gone. 

“ That’s funny ! ” he thought; “ I’m sure it 
was there.” 

Stooping over, he put out his hand and seemed 
to touch something soft. He closed his hand 
and started back, when to his amazement he 
found in his grasp an object that looked like a 
small, round, pointed hat. 

Now Harry knew a thing or two. He had 
read all about fairies and elves, and had seen 
pictures of them, and he concluded at once 
that this must be an elf’s hat. He put it on 
his head without delay, and sure enough, just as 
he expected, there stood an elf before him. 

“ Please give me back my hat,” said the little 
creature, in a beseeching tone. 

“ No, no,” replied Harry. “ I’ve read about 
you elves, and I know you are my servant while 
I have your hat. I want to see where you live, 
and all that. And— oh! yes,” he exclaimed as a 
thought struck him ; “ what became of that pin 
that was here in the path ? Did you take it ? ” 

The elf nodded, and held out his hand, in 
which lay the pin. 


































































































THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 5 

“ So that is the reason it disappeared,” said 
Harry. “ Why did you pick it up ? ” 

“That’s my work,” responded the elf. “ I be¬ 
long to the Pin Elves. We have to gather up 
the pins that you mortals lose or throw away.” 

“ How funny ! ” cried Harry. “ But what do 
you do with them ? ” 

“ Well,” replied the elf, “ a long time ago our 
king ran a needle in his foot. Now we have a 
law that whoever injures the King’s person shall 
be banished. Of course the King could not 
banish himself, so he had to banish all the 
needles. No sewing could be done after that, 
so we gradually took to using pins for fastening 
our clothes together, and now we need so many 
that most of our work is pin-gathering! That 
is the reason we are called the Pin Elves.” 

Harry looked at the little fellow curiously and 
saw that his garments had neither button nor 
sewed seam. Shoes, stockings, tight breeches, 
belted coat,— all were fastened together with pins. 

“But I thought that you elves worked at 
night only,” said Harry. 

“ So we do, usually,” responded the elf, “but 
some of us occasionally are sent out on a dark, 
cloudy day like this, when there is little danger 



6 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


of the sun shining upon us. I had bad luck 
last night, didn’t find a pin, so my master made 
me come out again to-day.” 

“ Well, I am your master now,” said Harry, 
“so you can stop work and go home. Only, 
you must take me with you.” 

Off they started, the elf leading, in the di¬ 
rection of Central Park. The elfin hat which 
Harry wore made him invisible, and the elf 
himself of course was visible only to Harry; 
therefore they attracted no attention as they 
walked up the Avenue and along Fifty-ninth 
Street. They entered the Park at the Sixth 
Avenue gate, and went a little way until they 
came to a small rock with a rather flat top. 

The elf scrambled up on this, and sticking a 
pin in a little hole in the centre and pressing 
upon it thrice, sang in a queer, croaking voice 
the following: 

“ Pin, pin, let me in. 

Needles are banished, 

All of them vanished ; 

I am a trusty Pin.” 

Immediately a door in the rock opened, dis¬ 
closing a flight of stairs, down which the elf 
conducted Harry. The stairs ended in a small, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. J 

well-lighted room, with several passage-ways lead¬ 
ing out of it. They entered one of these, and 
after walking a short distance, came to a long, 
steep incline, the floor of which shone like 
polished glass. 

“ Hold on ! ” cried Harry in alarm ; “ that’s 
too steep and slippery to walk on. It looks 
like glass.” 

“ It is glass,” said the elf, “ and we are 
going to slide down. You needn’t be afraid. 
It’s safe enough, and I’ll go in front.” 

He sat down on the brow of the hill, and 
continued: “You sit down behind me and 
stick your feet on each side of me, and I’ll 
steer you straight. All ready? Well, here 
goes ! Hold on to my hat! ” 

Whiz! away they went, and in about ten 
seconds reached the bottom, where a short, 
level space with a gentle rise at the end of 
it brought them to a gradual standstill. 

“ Glorious ! ” exclaimed Harry, springing to 
his feet. “ Beats coasting all hollow! Let’s go 
back and try it again.” 

“ No, we must hasten on,” replied the elf; 
“the King holds a reception this afternoon, 
and no one is permitted to be absent.” 


8 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


They hurried along the passage and pres¬ 
ently came to a door, before which stood two 
tall elves, each one armed with a long spear. 
Harry’s elf whispered a word to these guards, 
and they instantly opened the door. 

On they trotted; that is, the elf trotted, but 
Harry simply walked at a good pace, through 
several more passage-ways, until finally they 
reached another door, guarded like the first, 
through which they were admitted to the Grand 
Royal Reception Hall. 

It was a room of immense size, brilliantly 
lighted by what seemed to be strings of pre¬ 
cious stones festooned from the lofty ceiling. 
At the further end, on a raised dais, was the 
King, seated upon a throne of gold, with his 
royal body-guard of five hundred picked sol¬ 
diers stationed near him. On a lower platform 
at the right of the King were seated a few per¬ 
sons, who, Harry’s elf informed him, were mem¬ 
bers of the royal family. 

The hall was otherwise quite vacant, as the 
reception was just beginning, so they stood at 
one side and watched the elves coming in. 

“There is my old master, the Lord of the 
Safety-Pin,” said the elf to Harry, as a surly- 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 9 

looking elf entered, whose clothes were fas¬ 
tened with numerous safety-pins. “ See him 
scowl at us; he knows you are my master 
now. Those elves behind him are his knights. 
Each knight has two esquires and twelve 
retainers ; any retainer who finds a good safety- 
pin becomes an esquire, and if he finds another 
he is made a knight; but he can’t become a lord 
until he has found enough to pin all his clothes 
together. There is only one lord of that order, 
because you mortals don’t lose many good 
safety-pins, and a broken one doesn’t count. 

“ Those two fellows coming now are Knights 
of the Breast-Pin. Each of them found one 
breast-pin, and the King made them knights. 
They are the only members of their order. 

“ Here come the Black-Pins. There are six 
lords, seventy-two knights, a hundred and forty- 
four esquires, and I don’t know how many re¬ 
tainers. They are rather a common lot,” he 
added contemptuously. 

After the Black-Pins had passed, there en¬ 
tered a pompous elf with a large hat-pin hang¬ 
ing like a sword from his belt. At sight of 
him Harry’s elf bowed very low. 

“ Who is that ? ” asked Harry. 


IO 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


“ One of the Hat-Pins,” replied the elf in a 
whisper; “ belongs to the royal family, you 

know. The King’s sceptre is a gold-headed hat¬ 
pin, and any one who finds a hat-pin is made a 
member of the royal family.” 

Just then a messenger summoned them to 
appear before the King. 

“There is one rule you must bear in mind, 
while you are in this hall,” said the elf to 
Harry, as they followed the messenger ; “ no 
one is permitted to turn his back to the King.” 

Half-way down the hall they came to the 
Lord of the Safety-Pin, who looked so ugly 
and hateful that Harry could not help smiling. 
Just after they passed him, Harry felt a sharp 
pin-prick in his leg, and turning about hastily, 
discovered that it had been inflicted by the 
Lord of the Safety-Pin himself. 

“ Ha! ha! ” cried that individual, with a 
malicious grin, “you have turned your back 
on the King! ” 

The King spoke a few words to his body¬ 
guard, and instantly a large number of them 
started towards Harry. 

“ Quick ! you must escape ! ” cried the elf 
whose hat he possessed. “ Follow me.” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. I l 

Harry was inclined to stand his ground, but 
on second thoughts it seemed wiser to run, so 
he followed his little friend through a side 
doorway and on through many corridors and 
up numerous flights of stairs until they arrived 
at the chamber where they had first entered. 
The elf ran up the steps, and taking a pin 
from his coat inserted it in a small hole in 
the rock overhead, and said: 

“ Pin, pin, 

Trusty and stout, 

I am within 
And want to get out.” 

The door in the rock opened, and they 
stepped out into the open air. 

“ We’re safe now,” said the elf, and he 
slammed the door shut, just as the foremost 
of the pursuing soldiers began to mount the 
stairs. *“ Now, please give me my hat!” he 
added imploringly. 

“Not yet,” said Harry. “You must go 
home with me; I’m not going to walk the 
streets bareheaded and visible.” 

When they reached the house Harry bade 
the elf wait a minute, and removing the elfin 
hat from his head, he went up to his mother’s 




2 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


room, and took an old hat-pin from a closet. 
Stopping on his way back at the sitting-room 
door, he obtained his mother’s permission to 
keep it, and then ran out to the elf. 

“You have been a good servant,” said he, 
“and here is your reward.” 

The elf’s little black eyes sparkled with 
pleasure as he took it, and he drew himself 
up proudly, saying: “Now I shall become a 
member of the royal family. And here,” he 
continued, drawing a pin from his coat, and 
handing it to Harry, “ is a token of my grati¬ 
tude. If you ever want to see me, go to that 
rock in the Park ; in the centre of the top 
you will find a small hole; stick this pin in 
the hole, and while you press upon it thrice, 
repeat these words: 

“ Pin, pin, let me in. 

Needles are banished, 

All of them vanished; 

A mortal wants to get in.” 

“Thank you,” said Harry. “Good-by, little 
chap. Here’s your hat,” and he tossed it to the 
elf, who instantly disappeared. 

*‘ Well, ’ ’ thought Harry, as he entered the house, 
“ I’ve certainly found out where the pins go.” 


CHAPTER II. 


TAKEN PRISONER. 

One Saturday, some months after Harry’s 
adventure among the Pin Elves, an irresistible 
desire came over him to pay another visit to 
the little underground people ; so having ob¬ 
tained his mother’s consent to spend the after¬ 
noon in the Park, he took the pin given him 
by his elfin friend, put in his pocket a little 
gift for him, and started off. 

The rock which contained the hidden door 
was situated close to a footpath**and when he 
reached it he sat down upon it as if to rest, 
and looked about to see if any one were 
watching him. No one was in sight but a 
Park policeman, who had just passed by, and 
he was disappearing from view among the 
shrubbery. So Harry hurriedly examined the 
centre of the rock, and in a few moments 


14 the prince of the pin elves. 

found the hole. Inserting the pin, he pressed 
upon it thrice, and repeated 

“ Pin, pin, let me in. 

Needles are banished, 

All of them vanished; 

A mortal wants to get in.” 

Instantly the door in the top of the rock 
opened, and Harry found himself lying on the 
grass beside the rock. In his excitement he 
had forgotten just where the door was, and, as 
he was resting exactly on top of it, when it 
sprang open it naturally threw him off the rock. 
Fortunately he was not hurt, though he was 
very much surprised. 

It took but a moment, however, to pick him¬ 
self up, snatch the elfin pin from the hole, and 
spring down the stone steps through the open 
doorway. As his foot touched the bottom, the 
trap-door in tike rock above shut noiselessly. 

The chamber in which he found himself was 
empty, so he entered the passageway which he 
had traversed with the elf on his former visit, 
slid down the glassy incline, and walked on¬ 
wards until he came to the first door. As no 
one was there, and as there seemed to be no way 
for him to open the door, he knocked upon it 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 5 

as loudly as possible, and stepping back a little 
waited for a response. 

Suddenly the door opened about half-way, but 
closed again just as suddenly without any one 
appearing. After waiting awhile longer, Harry 
knocked again till his knuckles were sore, and 
when no answer came, he kicked vigorously 
against the rocky barrier. 

Finally he grew tired, and sat down. What 
to do next he hardly knew. It was impossible 
to go back the way he came, as he could not 
walk up the glassy incline. He had seen no 
passageway opening out of the one in which he 
was, and there seemed to be no other door than 
the one just ahead. Evidently, there was noth¬ 
ing to do but to wait until some of the elves 
happened along that way. 

The silence at first was painful; but after 
a little while he fancied he heard mysterious 
sounds around him, like the rustling of gar¬ 
ments, and soft footfalls, and once or twice what 
seemed to be a faint whispering. No one was visi¬ 
ble, and he had almost concluded that he had 
merely imagined the sounds, when there came a 
sharp click just beside him, as if a piece of metal 
had struck the rocky side of the passageway. 


1 6 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

He sprang to his feet, much startled and 
frightened, but there was nothing to be seen, 
and as he listened intently, he could not hear 
the slightest sound. 

“ Pshaw ! I’m simply nervous ! ” he exclaimed, 
seating himself again. 

But scarcely had he become quiet, when he 
felt something like a rope drawn tightly about 
his arms and feet, and then he was pulled over 
on his back upon the ground. He made a 
desperate effort to free himself, but both arms 
and legs were so strongly bound that all strug- 
gling was in vain; so he lay there perfectly 
quiet, half frightened out of his wits. 

In a few moments, he was dragged on his 
back upon what seemed to be a long, wide 
board, and then the board, with him upon it, 
was lifted up and carried through a number of 
passageways, and finally set down again on the 
ground. The board was then gently pulled from 
under him, there was a confused rustling sound, 
the bonds on his limbs suddenly loosened, and 
all became quiet. 

Harry sprang to his feet and found himself in 
a small chamber about twelve feet square, with 
apparently neither door nor window. Of course 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 17 

he knew there must be a doorway somewhere, 
as he had just been brought through one ; but 
he was unable to discover any sign of it now. 
The room was well lighted in some way from 



the lofty ceiling, and contained a long, low couch 
along one of the walls. 

Harry carefully examined his prison, and then 
sat down on the edge of the couch, and gave a 
long whistle. 








1 8 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

“Well!” he cried, “this is a lark and no 
mistake! I wish I could get out of this hole.” 

But it needed only a glance at those bare 
stone walls to show him the uselessness of such 
a wish. Finally he gave up thinking about his 
strange situation, and being thoroughly tired 
out, threw himself back on the couch, and was 
soon fast asleep. 

On awakening, the first object that met his 
gaze was a low table beside him, covered with 
a tempting display of food. 

“ Well! ” he exclaimed, rubbing his eyes in 
amazement, “if it isn’t just like magic ! ” 

The food smelled good, and also tasted good, 
as he soon discovered ; and when he had finished 
eating there was little of it left. After that, he 
walked around the room a number of times, and 
then lay down and slept again. 

When he awoke the second time, the little 
table had disappeared. While he lay there, half 
dozing, he saw a door in the opposite side of the 
room noiselessly open and immediately close 
again. A moment later, something soft touched 
his head, and he beheld his old elfin friend 
standing beside him, nodding and grin¬ 
ning. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 9 

“ Hallo!” cried Harry, sitting upright, “how 
did you get here ? ” 

“ Sh — sh ! ” said the elf, “ don’t talk so loud ! 
I came in at the door just now.” 

“ How’s that ? I didn’t see you,” said 
Harry. 

“No, of course not,” was the reply; “we 
elves are invisible to any mortal who hasn’t 
one of our hats on. You see me now because 
I just put my hat on your head.” 

“ Well, say, old fellow, or whatever your 
name may be — what is your name, by the 
way ? ” 

“ Wamby,” answered the elf. 

“ Well, Wamby,” continued Harry, “ why am 
I shut up here, and what is going to be done 
with me?” 

The elf answered : “You are shut up because 
at your former visit you turned your back on 
the King. When to-day you came to that door 
near the foot of the hill of glass, you could see 
no one because you hadn’t one of our hats on ; 
but the two guards were there, and while one 
remained to watch you, the other carried the 
news to the King. Instantly, a body of soldiers 
was sent to seize you, and carry you to this 


20 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


prison. I was unable to prevent it, but I made 
up my mind to see you, and so I deliberately 
turned my back on the King and, of course, was 
at once arrested and brought here as a prisoner 
too. As to what is to be done with us, I be¬ 
lieve they intend to send us down to work with 
the Gnomes.” 

“ Where is that ?” asked Harry. ‘‘And who 
are the Gnomes ? ” 

“Why, the Gnomes are the elves who work 
in the mines far down in the earth, way down 
below where we are. They are bad fellows, 
those Gnomes, black and ugly, and awfully old. 
They dig gold and silver and iron, and have big 
forges where they make lots of things. It’s 
very hot down there, and they have to stay 
there all the time. One of the worst punish¬ 
ments that can befall a Pin Elf is to be sent to 
work with the Gnomes. No one ever is per¬ 
mitted to return, and there is no chance to 
escape from the mines.” 

“Well, can’t we escape from this place 
before they carry us down to the Gnomes ? ” 
asked Harry. 

Wamby shook his head dolefully. “ No,” he 
replied ; “ they’ve taken away the pin with which 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


21 


I opened doors, and we can’t get out any other 
way.” 

“ Here is the pin you gave me,” said Harry. 
“ Won’t that do just as well ? ” 

Wamby eagerly took the pin, but his counte¬ 
nance soon fell again. “ I’m afraid it’s no use 
for us to try,” he said; “come over here and 
look. Don’t speak a word.” 

Going across to the opposite side of the room, 
he waited till Harry was close beside him, and 
then sticking the pin in a hole in the wall, he 
pressed upon it thrice, and whispered: 

“ Pin, pin, 

Trusty and stout, 

I am within, 

And want to look out.” 

The door opened a crack, and Wamby stepped 
aside and motioned Harry to take a peep. Harry 
did so, and saw that the passageway was fairly 
filled with elves of the largest size, each one 
armed with a long spear. He counted them, 
and found there were fifty keeping careful 
guard. Then the door closed quietly. 

Wamby turned around and threw himself 
hopelessly upon the couch. “Take that pin 


22 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


out of the hole,” he said; “it may be of use 
to us some time.” 

Harry snatched it out impatiently, and 
dropped it on the floor. “ Pshaw! ” he 
exclaimed. 

“ What’s the matter ? ” inquired the elf. 

“ I dropped the pin and can’t find it again,” 
said Harry. “ Oh ! here it is, sticking in a hole 
in the floor.” 

“ What! in a hole ? ” cried Wamby, springing 
up excitedly. “ Don’t touch it! Let me see ! 
If there’s a hole, there must be a trap-door ; and 
if there is, it will give us a chance of escape.” 

He kneeled down and rapped softly upon the 
floor, and listened intently. 

“Yes, there’s a door here. Stand aside, and 
I’ll show you.” 

He pressed upon the pin and repeated the 
usual words, and a trap-door opened in the 
floor, revealing a narrow passage, with stone 
steps descending. 

“ Where does it lead to ? ” asked Harry. 

“ I don’t know,” Wamby replied; “ but we 
can soon find out.” He considered a moment, 
and then continued, “ We’d better wait awhile, 
though. They’ll bring in our food before long, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 23 

and if they find us gone they will start at once 
in pursuit and catch us. But if we wait until 
after the food is brought, it will give us time to 
get away a good distance before our flight is 
discovered.” 

It was well they took that precaution, for 
hardly was the trap-door closed when the other 
door opened, and four elves appeared, bearing 
a table laden with eatables. After the meal 
was despatched, Harry put in his pockets the 
food that remained, as it might be some time 
before they could obtain any more. Then, 
waiting until the four elves had returned and 
removed the empty table, they opened the trap¬ 
door and descended a few steps, when the door 
above them silently closed, and they were in 
total darkness. 


CHAPTER III. 


PURSUED. 

“ What shall we do now ? ” asked Harry in 
dismay, catching Wamby by the arm. “We 
can never go on in this darkness.” 

“ Wait a minute, and I’ll show you,” replied 
the elf. 

He seemed to search about his person for 
something, and presently held out his hand, in 
which was a box containing a little round ob¬ 
ject that shone like an electric light, and lighted 
up the passageway brilliantly. 

“What is it?” inquired Harry in wonder. 

“ A kind of gem that the gnomes make. We 
use them to light up all our rooms, and when 
one is put in a box like this it is like a dark 
lantern, only better, being so small and bright. 
But, come on! we are wasting precious time.” 

The stone stairs seemed interminable, but at 
last they reached the bottom, and hurried along 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


25 


a corridor that still slanted slightly downward. 
After a long walk they came to the brow of a 
steep incline. 

“ What’s this ? ” asked Harry, “ another hill 
of glass ? ” 

‘‘Yes,” Wamby replied, sitting down. “ Sit 
down behind me and we’ll slide.” 

“ Look here ! ” exclaimed Harry, “ we’ve 
been going down for an hour or more, and if 
we don’t stop I’m afraid we’ll come to the cen¬ 
tre of the earth. Where does this road lead 
to, I’d like to know ? ” 

“ Well,” answered Wamby calmly, “ I think, 
from the way it keeps going down hill, that it 
must lead to the Gnomes; in fact, I am quite 
sure that this is the way they take prisoners 
there.” 

“If that’s the case,” said Harry, “please 
excuse me from going any further. I may be 
carried down, but I’m not such a fool as to go 
down of my own free will.” 

“Oh, come on!” said Wamby; “don’t be 
afraid ! If we go down of our own accord we 
can come back at any time. You’ll under¬ 
stand later. Although I have never been to 
the Gnomes, I have often heard the soldiers. 


2 6 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


who have taken prisoners there, tell stories 
about the trip, and I think I know pretty well 
what the remainder of the road is like. Sit 
down close behind me and take hold of my 
belt, and keep your mouth tightly shut.” 

“All right, go ahead,” said Harry. 

Away they went, faster and faster, until 
Harry felt as if his breath were gone. Would 
the hill never end ? 

“ Can’t — you — put on — the brakes — 
Wamby ? ” he gasped. 

“ Keep your mouth shut, and hold on! ” 
shrieked the elf. 

“ Hold on ! ” thought Harry, “ I wish I could 
hold on ! ” 

But they reached the foot of the hill safely 
after awhile. Harry sat still until he had recov¬ 
ered his breath, and then, slowly arising, rue¬ 
fully rubbed his benumbed legs, and said : 

“ I tell you what, old chap, if you ever want 
me to slide down that place again, you’ll have 
to provide a cushion for me.” 

Wamby chuckled, and trotted onward. After 
another long walk through a level corridor they 
came to the entrance of an immense chamber 
or cave, so large that they could see neither 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 27 

the roof, nor opposite sides. The floor was 
smooth and glistening, and reflected the light 
which Wamby held aloft. 

“What is the floor — glass?” asked Harry. 

“ No,” replied the elf, “ it’s water. We shall 
have to go the rest of the way in a boat. Let 
me show you something,” he continued, catch¬ 
ing Harry by the sleeve, and shutting the lid 
of his lantern box. “ Look way over there, a 
little to the left, and tell me what you see.” 

“Why, it looks like a little red star. It 
flickers a good deal. Sometimes it blazes up 
brightly, and then it gets so faint that I can 
scarcely see it. What is it ? ” 

“ It is where the Gnomes live. That star, as 
you call it, is the light from their furnace fires; 
and when I tell you it is as bright as day over there, 
you can see how far away it must be from us.” 

“ But how can we ever get there ? ” demanded 
Harry. 

“You’ll see presently,” was the answer. 
“ First, let us eat some of that food you 
brought. I’m hungry.” 

They hastily swallowed a few mouthfuls, and 
quenched their thirst with a draught of cool, 
clear water from the lake, 


28 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


“Now, give me that pin,” said Wamby. 
Opening a large door at one side, he disclosed 
a room with the floor covered with water, on 
which floated a sail-boat with its sails all set. 
“ Here,” he continued, “ take hold of that bow¬ 
line, and while I shove, you pull the boat around 
alongside of the landing-place there. Now, fas¬ 
ten the stern-line over that stone post, and get 
in the boat, and shove the bow out a little.” 

Meanwhile Wamby had taken a piece of hose 
from the room, and fastening one end on the 
wall, he placed the other end on the edge of 
the landing-place with the nozzle pointing 
straight at the red star. Then he turned a 
stop-cock, and instantly there came a strange, 
rushing sound from the nozzle of the hose. 

“What’s that?” cried Harry, much alarmed. 

“ Oh ! that is only the wind that I just turned 
on,” said Wamby. “All we have to do is to 
push the boat in front of this hose, and the 
wind will blow us across the lake.” 

“ But how can we get back again if it blows 
so hard from this side ? ” inquired Harry. 

“ Easy enough,” responded Wamby. “ This 
wind only blows long enough to carry us across, 
and then stops of itself. Now I’ll put my 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 29 

lantern-box on this shelf, so that when we come 
back we’ll know where to steer. We won’t need it 
till we get back again. And now we’re all ready.” 

He cast off the stern-line and was just about 
to step aboard, when he suddenly stopped, and 
cried, “ Listen ! ” 

Harry listened, but could hear nothing. The 
elf’s ears were sharper, though, and he ex¬ 
claimed, “ I hear the sound of rapid footsteps up 
the passageway. Push off from shore — quick ! ” 

Springing into the boat, he grasped a pole 
and shoved off a few feet from the edge. No 
sooner had he done so, when the fifty elves 
who had been guarding them came running up, 
waving their spears and shouting to them to 
return. Of course they refused, whereupon the 
leader of the soldiers ran to the hose and turned 
off the wind. Then he held aloft his spear, and 
cried, “ In the King’s name, surrender! ” 

At the sound of that, Wamby fairly trem¬ 
bled, and seemed disposed to obey. But Harry 
pushed him aside, and called out boldly, “ What 
do you want ? ” 

“ We want you to give yourselves up as 
prisoners. If you refuse, we shall have to swim 
out and capture you.” 


30 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


Harry turned to Wamby : “ What do you 
say ? Shall we fight them ? ” 

Poor little Wamby shook his head hopelessly. 
“ I’ll fight if you command me to ; I am your 
servant; but it will do no good. There are 
too many of them.” 

“ What can we do, then ? ” inquired Harry. 

“ Nothing, except go back,” said Wamby. 
“ Dear me ! I wish I had my hat-pin now! ” 

“ What good would that do ? ” 

“Why, then we could control them. But 
they took away my hat-pin, of course, when 
they arrested me.” 

Harry thrust his hand in his pocket and drew 
forth a package. “ See here, Wamby,” said he, 
“ here’s a hat-pin that I brought down as a 
present for you, but I forgot all about it till 
this moment. Would this be any good ? ” He 
opened the package and showed a large, gold¬ 
headed hat-pin, much like the one belonging to 
the King, only handsomer. 

“Just the thing! ” cried Wamby. And 
grasping the pin in his hand he held it up 
before him, and sprang upon the seat in the 
boat’s stern, shouting: “ Behold the royal 

emblem ! ” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 3 1 

At the sight, every soldier dropped his spear, 
and bowed low to the ground. 

“Ha! ha!” laughed Wamby. “You have 
made a mistake, my brave men, but we’ll over¬ 
look it this time. You, Smithkin, go and turn 
on the wind ! ” 

The leader of the soldiers, thus commanded, 
immediately obeyed. 

“ Rise ! ” said Wamby. “ Have you food 
with you ? ” 

Smithkin bowed low, and replied : “ We have, 
most noble possessor of the royal hat-pin.” 

“Then hearken,” continued Wamby. “Sit 
down where you are, and remain seated until 
we return.” Then, turning to Harry, he grinned 
and said, “ Shove the boat over into the wind.” 

“ Will they stay here ? ” whispered Harry. 

“ Oh ! yes ; never fear. They wouldn’t dare 
leave,” answered Wamby, sticking the hat-pin 
in his belt, and pushing the boat along. 

Presently the wind struck the sails, the boat 
started rapidly forward into the gloom, and 
Wamby, sitting down in the stern, took the 
tiller and steered for the little red spot that 
showed where the Gnomes lived. 


CHAPTER IV. 


A TRIP TO THE GNOMES. 

“ Wamby,” said Harry, after they had sailed 
for some time in silence, “what are we going 
to the Gnomes for ? ” 

“ I have some friends there that I want to 
see,” replied Wamby. 

“ Are there many of the Pin Elves there ? ” 

“A great many. I once counted up over 
five hundred that I knew of, and there are a 
large number of others who have been sent 
there.” 

“ What are they sent for, breaking the 
laws ? ” 

“ Oh ! no. I myself am the only one I ever 
knew of who deliberately broke a law. The 
others were banished for displeasing the King. 
For instance, twelve friends of mine were sent 
to the Gnomes at one time, simply because 
they contradicted the King. He declared that 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 33 


the katydids had more beautiful voices than 
the crickets, and because they refused to agree 
with him they were banished. Then there was 
Kitey, a dear friend of mine, but an awful big 
fool in one way. He was so afraid of turning 
his back on the King that he never took his 
eyes off the King’s face when in the royal 
presence. One day at a banquet Kitey sat 
next to me, and I told him a funny story and 
made him laugh. Of course he was looking 
at the King all the time, and just then the 
King unluckily spilt some soup on his royal 
mantle, and seeing Kitey looking at him and 
laughing, he thought he was laughing at him ; 
so away Kitey went to the Gnomes.” 

“ It’s shameful ! ” exclaimed Harry, indig¬ 
nantly. “ Why do you stand it ? I should think 
all of you would hate such a wicked King.” 

“ Well, everybody does hate him,” said 
Wamby, “except a few persons, like the Lord 
of the Safety-Pin, who are the King’s favorites. 
But what can you do ? ” 

“ Do ! ” cried Harry, “ why, elect another 
King.” 

“ Elect another King ! ” repeated Wamby, as 
if bewildered at the very idea. 


34 THE prince of the pin elves. 

“ Yes,” said Harry. “ He’s the wickedest old 
tyrant I ever heard of. If most of you dislike 
him, the best thing to do is to choose some 
good elf as King, and send the old one off.” 

“ But that would be rebellion,” said Wamby, 
faintly. The project was so bold that it fairly 
took his breath away. 

“No,” answered Harry, “it would be a 
revolution, and that is perfectly right in a case 
like this.” 

“ But the King has all the soldiers under his 
command,” said Wamby. 

“Pshaw!” exclaimed Harry, “what do they 
amount to! There must be thousands of you 
Pin Elves, and you could easily conquer five 
hundred soldiers.” 

“ It’s all well enough to talk,” returned 
Wamby, “ but you forget another very serious 
fact, and that is the effect of the royal hat¬ 
pin, and the awe and terror it always inspires. 
You yourself have seen how easily I controlled 
those soldiers with the hat-pin; but imagine 
how much greater would* be the effect if it 
were in the King’s hands.” 

“That’s so,” said Harry, “I never thought 
of that.” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 35 

After a long silence he crawled back to the 
stern of the boat, and sat down beside Wamby. 

“ Look here, Wamby,” 
he said, “ I have an idea.” 
And then he began a long 
whispered conversation 
with the elf, as if afraid 
to let even the darkness 
around them hear what he 
had to say. 

Finally Wamby said, 
“Well, I am doubtful about 
it; but you are my master, 
and if you command me to 
do it, I shall have to obey.” 

“ That’s so. I forgot I 
had your hat on my head,” 
said Harry, feeling to 
make sure that the hat 
was still there. “ Well, 
then, I command you to do 
it. Does that settle the 
matter ? ” 

“Yes, that settles it,” replied the elf. 
Meanwhile, they had been drawing near the 
other shore. The little red star had been 


















36 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

gradually growing larger and brighter, and they 
began now to see clearly the brilliant, ruddy, 
furnace fires, and to distinguish the forms of 
Gnomes moving about at their work. The 
heat had become so intense that Harry took 
off his coat and vest, and wet his head a 
number of times with the cool water. 

As they drew close to the shore, Wamby 
steered the boat aside out of the direct cur¬ 
rent of wind, and it gradually slowed up and 
stopped alongside of a landing-place. They 
both stepped out, and Wamby made the boat 
fast. 

“ You’d better take a good drink,” said he 
to Harry, “ and wet your handkerchief and tie 
it around your head. It’s awfully hot here.” 

“ How do they stand it ? ” asked Harry. 

“ Oh! the Gnomes are used to it. But 
you notice there are no Pin Elves here. It is 
too hot for them. They work in the mines, 
digging out the metal. Of course it’s warm 
enough there, but not nearly so bad as this.” 

He drew forth the hat-pin from his belt, and 
held it up before some soldiers standing near, 
“ Here, you!” he said to one of them, “keep 
guard over that boat! ” Then addressing 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 37 

another soldier : “ And you, go ahead and lead 
us straight to your King. Trot along lively! 
We haven’t any time to spare, and even if we 
had, it’s too hot to loiter here.” 

They hastened away as fast as possible, but 
although they were running briskly, and al¬ 
though Harry himself was most anxious to es¬ 
cape from the terrible heat, he could not refrain 
from casting several curious glances about him. 
It was indeed a strange and weird scene. 
Long rows of fiercely glowing furnaces, with 
scores of misshapen, hideous-looking Gnomes 
busily at work ; some bringing loads of freshly- 
dug ore in funny little wheelbarrows.; some 
tending the fires and stirring the redhot coals 
with long pokers ; some with big ladles skim¬ 
ming the refuse from the top of the molten 
metal, or pouring it from the crucibles into 
moulds ; some trotting away with barrows full 
of new-made gold and silver bars. Then, further 
along, were hundreds of forges, with Gnomes 
still more ugly working the metals into all 
sorts of beautiful and curious forms. 

Had it not been so terribly hot, Harry would 
gladly have stopped and watched them; but as it 
was, he was very willing to hurry by as fast a$ 


38 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

his legs could carry him, and was thankful when 
they entered a corridor and shut a stone door 
behind them. It was still warm, of course, 
being so far down in the earth, but the tem¬ 
perature was comfortable, as compared with the 
intense heat from the fires. 

Presently they reached a large hall, with the 
floor covered with pure gold, the sides covered 
with silver, and the ceiling inlaid with countless 
precious stones. The light was so brilliant and 
dazzling that Harry was half blinded, and had 
to shade his eyes for some moments before he 
could see anything. 

At the further end of the hall was the King 
of the Gnomes on his throne. On each side of 
him sat the Grand Prime Minister and the Grand 
Recorder, and beside them were ranged a double 
row of armed soldiers. 

It seemed to Harry that the Gnomes had 
picked out the oldest and ugliest one of their 
number for King, and then the next two ugliest 
ones for Prime Minister and Recorder. The 
King had an immense gray beard, so long and 
bushy that the ends of it were spread out on the 
floor in front of him like a rug. In his right 
hand he held, as a sceptre, a small golden 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 39 

pickax, to show that all the wealth of his king¬ 
dom came from the mines. 

As Harry and Wamby drew near the throne, 
the King growled forth, “What do you want?” 

Wamby held forth the hat-pin, and replied, 
“ We are come to demand of you to deliver to 
us every Pin Elf now in Your Majesty’s domin¬ 
ions.” 

“Hum! hah!” growled the King, frowning 
terribly. He looked first at the Grand Prime 
Minister, and then at the Grand Recorder, as 
much as to say, “ What do you think of that ? ” 

Those two worthies of course knew better 
than to make any reply. They simply bowed 
very low, as if to say, “We think whatever 
Your Majesty is pleased to think.” 

Then the King stared at his golden pickax 
with his right eye, which, by the way, was much 
larger than the other eye, and had a most horri¬ 
ble glare. 

“ Hum ! hah! ” he muttered again, and turned 
that awful eye of his upon Harry. 

The poor boy was shaking in his shoes from 
fright, but he returned the King’s gaze with 
a bold countenance. 

“ Shall we run, Wamby ? ” he whispered. 


40 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


“No, keep still, or we’re lost! ” replied the elf. 

Finally the King summoned an officer, and 
said, in a snarling tone, “ Take a hundred sol¬ 
diers, and bring hither all of the Pin Elves in 
my dominions. Begone! ” 

Presently the officer returned with the elves. 
They looked astonished and bewildered when 
they saw Harry and Wamby, and bowed low to 
the King of the Gnomes and then to the royal 
hat-pin, but of course were afraid to say a 
word. 

“There they are,” growled the King, with 
a rather menacing wave of his pickax. “ Take 
them, and begone ! ” 

Nothing loth, they all retired from the room 
as fast as they could back out. 

“ Now I’ll run ahead and get the boats 
ready,” said Wamby, “ and the rest of you 
hurry after me before the King has a chance 
to change his mind and stop us.” 

By the time they reached the lake, Wamby 
had a fleet of boats in waiting, and had adjusted 
a piece of hose and turned on the wind. It 
took but a moment for them to tumble aboard 
and push the boats into the wind, and they were 
soon sailing rapidly towards home. 


CHAPTER V. 


CAUGHT IN A TRAP. 

When they arrived at the opposite side of 
the lake they found the fifty soldiers seated on 
the exact spot where they had left them. 

A number of Gnomes had been brought over 
in order that they might take their own vessels 
back, and the first thing Wamby did was to 
order the wind turned on, and start the fleet 
of the Gnomes on their homeward way. Next, 
he commanded the soldiers to arise, proceed 
a little distance up the passageway, and take 
their station at the entrance of another passage¬ 
way leading off towards the right, which Harry 
had not noticed before. 

“ It leads up to the Grand Royal Reception 
Hall,” explained Wamby, in answer to an in¬ 
quiry from Harry. “ Of course you know it 
is impossible to go back the way we came 
down.” 


42 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


Then Wamby led Kitey aside from the other 
elves, and whispered to him long and earnestly. 
As Kitey listened he looked first amazed and • 
then delighted, and finally a broad grin over¬ 
spread his face, and with a knowing nod he ran 
off and began in a low voice to address the vari¬ 
ous groups of elves scattered about. 

“ Did you tell Kitey everything ? ” inquired 
Harry. 

“Yes,” replied Wamby, “and he is telling 
the others. We can trust them all.” 

“ How about the soldiers ? do they know ? ” 
asked Harry. 

Wamby shook his head. “ I am doubtful 
about that Smithkin. I don’t know whether 
to trust him or not.” 

“ Do you think he smells a rat ? ” queried 
Harry. 

“ Think he does what ? ” 

“ Suspects — mistrusts something,” explained 
Harry. 

“ Oh ! ” said Wamby. “ Yes, I do. You see, 
he knows well enough that the King would never 
release all these elves from the mines, and ever 
since we came back he has been casting suspi¬ 
cious glances at us, as if he were trying to find 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES 43 

out what we were about. He’s a treacherous 
fellow. I’m afraid of him.” 

“Then,” said Harry, “don’t tell him any¬ 
thing. Wait until we get arms for all these 
fellows, and we can defy those fifty 
soldiers.” 

“But the trouble is,” observed Wamby, 
“ that Smithkin is the only one who knows the 
way back, and where the armory is.” 

Harry pondered a moment. “ It seems to 
me the best plan is this,” said he. “ You order 
Smithkin to lead us to the King. You, Kitey, 
and I will go ahead with Smithkin, the released 
elves will come next, and the soldiers bring up 
the rear. Then Smithkin can’t communicate 
with his men, and we can watch him closely, 
and easily disarm and bind him at the least sign 
of treachery.” 

The plan impressed Wamby favorably. 
He gave orders to that effect, and they 
were soon hastening on the way to the Grand 
Royal Reception Hall. They traversed a 
number of passages, and climbed many long 
flights of steps. All went well for a 
time. Although Smithkin was glum and 
sullen, he certainly was leading them in the 


44 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


right direction, and they saw no reason to 
suspect him. 

At length they came to a place where the 
passageway expanded into a long and rather 
narrow room. When they reached the further 
end of the room, Smithkin examined the wall 
closely, and then a disconcerted look came into 
his face. 

“ I can’t find any door here,” said he. “ One 
of my men knows where it is, though; I’ll 
go back and ask him.” 

Harry followed him through the throng to 
the other end of the room. All of the released 
elves were in the room, but the soldiers had 
halted in the passageway. Calling one of them 
to him, -Smithkin asked, “ Where is the lower 
door ? ” 

“ There is the place,” replied the soldier, 
pointing to the wall on one side of the passage¬ 
way behind where Harry was standing. 

Smithkin drew forth a pin, and said to Harry, 
“ Will your honor please step aside a mo¬ 
ment ? ” 

Harry drew back a few steps into the room ; 
thus there was no one in the passageway but 
the soldiers. As soon as Harry was well in 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 45 

the room, Smithkin inserted the pin in a hole, 
pressed upon it thrice, and said : 

“ Pin, pin, 

Let them in; 

Open the door, 

Open the floor /” 

Instantly the whole floor of the room swung 
downwards, like an immense trap-door, and 
dumped all but the soldiers upon a slippery 
incline below. Away they went, sliding and 
rolling and tumbling over one another, until 
they landed in a confused heap at the bottom. 
Then the trap-door swung shut, and left them 
in darkness. 

Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt, though 
a number of them were bruised and scratched 
considerably. After order was restored Harry 
and Wamby talked over the situation, and came 
to the conclusion that this room and trap-door 
were mainly intended to prevent the Gnomes 
from ever invading the domains of the Pin 
Elves ; and that Smithkin, suspecting all was 
not right, made up his mind it would be a good 
plan to imprison them until he could find out 
from the King the real state of affairs. 


4 6 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

“ We are literally caught in a trap,” said 
Harry. 

Just then one of the elves exclaimed, “ I’ve 
found a little box on the floor.” 

“ Bring it here ! ” shouted Wamby. “ It’s my 
lantern-box. It flew out of my hands when I 
fell.” 

The light thus found cheered their spirits 
not a little. They could see that they were in 
a large chamber, with apparently no other mode 
of exit than the way by which they had entered. 

“ There must be some way to get out,” said 
Wamby. “You fellows sound the floor and 
walls, and see if you cannot discover a door 
somewhere.” 

But their search proved vain. Not a sign of 
a door was to be found, though they examined 
carefully every square inch of the floor and of 
the walls, as high up as they could reach. 

“There’s nothing for us to do, then,” said 
Wamby, “but wait and see what will happen.” 

And wait they did, for some time, and then 
what happened was the most unlooked-for thing 
that could possibly occur. The trap-door above 
opened an instant; there was a sound of mock¬ 
ing laughter, the door closed again, and a mo- 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 47 

ment after Smithkin himself came sliding and 
rolling down the hill of glass, and landed in a 
heap in the centre of the room. 

Such a crushed and crestfallen Smithkin as 
he was! They gathered about him and asked 
what was the matter. 

“ Matter! ” growled the discomfited soldier, 
rising and stamping his foot in a rage, “ mu¬ 
tiny is the matter! Rebellion is the matter! 
My soldiers have defied me. The King shall 
know of it, and every one of them shall be sent 
to the Gnomes ! ” 

“ Here, leave him to me,” said Wamby, tak¬ 
ing Smithkin by the arm and drawing him 
aside. 

After a long talk with him, Wamby returned to 
the others, and said, “He has had some trouble 
with his men, and they dumped him down here 
out of revenge. But it will turn out to our 
advantage, for he knows where the door is that 
leads out of this hole. Give me your pin, 
Harry. Smithkin’s is in possession of the sol¬ 
diers above.” 

Harry drew a pin from the lapel of his coat 
and handed it to him. “ Now show me the 
place,” said Wamby. Smithkin led him to the 


48 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

foot of the hill of glass, and pointed to a little 
pin-hole in the incline, about a foot from the 
bottom. 

“ Well! ” muttered Wamby, “ no wonder we 
couldn’t find it! Who would ever think of 
looking for a door there ? ” 

He inserted the pin, and pressing upon it 
thrice, repeated : 

“ Pin, pin, 

Trusty and stout, 

We are within 
And want to get out.” 

But no door opened. Again he pressed the 
pin and repeated the words, and again there 
was no response. 

“Are those the right words for this door, 
Smithkin ? ” he asked of the soldier. 

“Yes,” said Smithkin ; “try again.” 

He did so a number of times, but all in vain. 
At last he turned to Smithkin with a suspicious 
look, and cried, “You are deceiving us, you 
villain ! ” 

The other elves began to gather around the 
unfortunate soldier, with menacing looks and 
muttered threats of vengeance, but he pro- 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 49 

tested that he told the truth. “ The door is 
there, for I have seen it opened/’ he said. 
“ Something must be wrong.” 

Wamby thereupon drew forth the pin, and 
after one glance at it, said to Harry, “Why, 
you gave me a common pin! ” 

“ Won’t it do ? ” asked Harry ; “ what dif¬ 
ference does it make ?” 

“ A great deal,” answered Wamby ; “ only 
a door-pin, made for the purpose, will open 
doors. Why need I ask for your pin, if any 
common one will do ? And how do you sup¬ 
pose it would be possible to keejS any Pin Elf 
in prison, when each one’s clothes are fastened 
on with dozens of common pins ? ” 

“ Sure enough,” replied Harry; “ I never 
thought of that.” 

He searched one lapel of his coat, and then 
the other, and then looked at Wamby with a 
blank countenance, and said, “The door-pin 
is gone! ” 

“ Gone ! ” cried Wamby, as a look of despair 
settled on his face ; “ then we are lost! ” 

He was silent a moment. Then he smote 
his little hands wildly together, and cried, “ It’s 
the work of some of those mean, ugly, thievish, 


50 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

tricky Gnomes! They must have taken the 
pin when you left your coat in the boat.” He 
suddenly felt in his belt, and said to Harry in 
a hoarse whisper, “ They have stolen the hat¬ 
pin also ! ” 


CHAPTER VI. 


THE TABLES TURNED. 

“ Look here, Wamby,” said Harry, “ don’t 
get excited. Let’s talk over the matter. There 
must be some way for us to get out.” 

Wamby shook his head disconsolately. 

“ Maybe the soldiers can help us,” Harry 
went on. “They are able to open the door 
above; couldn’t we induce them to get ropes 
and draw us out ? ” 

“ ’ Tisn’t possible,” replied Wamby. “ In the 
first place, we can’t communicate with them 
unless they open the trap-door, and you must 
remember that they are afraid of us as well as 
of Smithkin, for they consented to our being 
dumped down here ; then again, even if they 
were willing to draw us out, how could they get 
the rope necessary ? Certainly, they wouldn’t 
dare go near the King, after having let us 
escape.” 


52 THE PRINCE OE THE PIN ELVES. 

Just then there was a loud shriek from one 
of the elves at the other end of the room, fol¬ 
lowed by a chorus of shrill, elfish laughter. 

“What’s the matter?” asked Wamby rather 
sternly. 

“ Kitey sat down on a pin,” was the reply, 
“ and he jumped up at least a foot high.” 

Kitey was seen rubbing himself and examin¬ 
ing the skirt of his jacket, and then suddenly 
he uttered a surprised exclamation and ran up 
to Wamby. 

“ Here’s the door-pin ! ” he cried ; “ it was 
sticking in my coat.” 

“ How did it get there ? ” demanded Wamby. 

“Perhaps,” said Harry, “when we tumbled 
down here it got loose and stuck in Kitey’s 
jacket. I remember now, I fell on top of 
Kitey.” 

Wamby eagerly seized the pin, and putting it 
in the hole, pressed upon it and repeated the 
usual words. The door opened and revealed a 
flight of steps immediately under the incline. 
They ascended these, and at the top Smith- 
kin showed them a door through which they 
emerged in the passageway near where the 
soldiers were. At sight of them the soldiers 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


53 


scampered into the room containing the trap¬ 
door. 

Wamby’s quick eye noted that they had neg¬ 
lected to remove Smithkin’s door-pin from the 
hole, so he ran up, and placing his finger on 



the head of the pin, shouted “ Surrender in¬ 
stantly, or I’ll dump you all down below! Lay 
down your arms and walk out here, and I’ll 
promise to treat you well.” 

Without hesitation the scared soldiers dropped 
their spears, and hurried out into the passageway. 











54 THE prince of the pin elves. 

“ Now,” said Wamby, drawing forth the pin, 
“ Kitey, you take fifty of our men and arm 
them with those spears, and keep guard over 
these soldiers.” 

Then Wamby nodded to Harry, who in a 
second seized Smithkin, took away his spear, 
and held him fast while two of the elves bound 
his hands behind him. 

“ Guard him closely, and keep him separate 
from the rest,” ordered Wamby. 

After Smithkin had been removed to a dis¬ 
tance, Wamby turned to the disarmed soldiers 
and said, “ Do any of you know where the 
royal armory is ? ” 

“ Smithkin is the only one who knows,” one 
of the men replied. “ We common soldiers 
were never allowed to go to the armory.” 

Wamby beckoned Harry aside, and whis¬ 
pered, “ What can we do now ? It seems 
impossible to arm the rest of our men.” 

“ I have a scheme that may answer,” said 
Harry. And he whispered the scheme in Wam- 
by’s ear. 

Wamby pondered a minute. “ It’s very bold,” 
he said, “but it strikes me as the only course 
open to us. Let us try it,” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 55 

Then, returning and addressing the soldiers : 
“Do you fellows know the way to the Grand 
Royal Reception Hall ? ” 

The soldiers consulted together a moment, 
and then one* of them stepped forward, and 
answered, “ I know the way.” 

“ I want you to lead us there,” said Wamby. 
“ If we succeed in what we are about to at¬ 
tempt, I promise that each one of you fifty will 
be well rewarded. If we fail, you will be no 
worse off than you are now. Will you conduct 
us ? ” 

The spokesman nodded, and answered boldly, 
“ We will. We are under your orders.” 

They forthwith proceeded under the guid¬ 
ance of the spokesman, and soon came to a 
large chamber, somewhat broader than the one 
containing the trap-door. Here the soldier 
stopped, and pointing to a passageway at the 
other end of the chamber, said in a low tone, 
“The Hall is at the end of that short pas¬ 
sageway. The door is the one you may have 
seen on the left of the King, near the throne. 
There are two soldiers guarding the door, but 
if you will permit one of my companions and 
myself to go to them alone, I think we can 


56 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


entice them to this room, and you can capture 
them.” 

Wamby looked at him sharply. “Til trust 
you,” said he ; “ take a man with you, and go.” 

When they had gone, Wamby ordered the 
elves to stand along the walls so as not to be 
seen by any one in the passageway, and then 
he placed his fifty armed men on each side 
of the entrance. 

After a little silent waiting, the two soldiers 
came running into the chamber, followed closely 
by the two guards. The latter of course were 
speedily captured, disarmed, and bound. 

“ Now,” said Wamby to his armed followers, 
“you men remain concealed as before on each 
side of this entrance, and await further orders. 
And the rest of you keep where you can’t be 
seen from the passageway.” 

Beckoning to Harry, he entered the passage¬ 
way and came to the door at the end. 

“First let us take a peep,” said he; and 
opening the door on a crack, they looked out 
into the Reception Hall. 

After the door closed, Harry whispered, 
“ There are only a few of the body-guard there. 
No doubt the King has heard of our escape 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 57 

from the prison, and sent most of his soldiers 
to find us. Are you all ready ? Be sure to 
shut the door after I come out, and keep it 
shut as long as you can. I am ready.” 

Wamby pressed upon the pin, and the door 
swung open. With a yell loud enough to scare 
a thousand elves, Harry dashed up to the 
throne, picked the little King up bodily, and 
rushed back through the doorway before any 
of the soldiers had a chance to touch him. 
Without stopping he ran on to the chamber, 
and laying the King down, called out, “ Here, 
some of you fellows, come and help me! ” 
For by this time the King was struggling, 
scratching, and biting like a vicious cat. • 

But not an elf moved. They simply looked 
on in amazement and fear. 

“ Afraid, eh ? ” cried Harry. “ Well, per¬ 
haps you’d better not have a hand in it.” 

Placing one knee on the King’s body, he 
drew forth the royal hat-pin and stuck it in 
his own coat. Then he took off the crown 
and placed it over Wamby’s hat on top of his 
own head, and loosing the royal mantle, pinned 
it over his own shoulders. 

“Now,” said he, springing up, “/ am king. 


58 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

Take that fellow and bind him. Don’t hurt 
him, though,” he cried, as he saw the vengeful, 
angry looks with which the elves rushed upon 
their disrobed tyrant. “ Any one that injures 
him will be sent back to the Gnomes. He’ll 
be punished in due time. You men that are 
armed, follow me to relieve Wamby.” 

They were just in time ; for, notwithstanding 
Wamby’s efforts, the door was being gradually 
forced open by the ex-King’s body-guard. 

“ Let ’em come, Wamby! ” shouted Harry. 

As the door flew open, Harry stepped for¬ 
ward with a stern, commanding look, and held 
up the royal hat-pin. The soldiers stopped, 
looked in bewilderment at the crown on his 
head, and then bowed low to the floor. 

“ Drop your spears ! Rise ! March into that 
chamber ! ” cried Harry. The terrified soldiers 
instantly obeyed. “ Kitey,” called Harry, “ have 
some* of our men arm themselves with those 
spears, and follow me.” 

By this time a large crowd of the elves in 
the Hall had gathered about the doorway. 

“ Clear the way to my throne,” commanded 
Harry, addressing his fifty armed men. “ Come, 
Wamby,” he continued, and marching solemnly 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


59 


forward, he ascended the steps to the throne 
and seated himself, motioning Wamby to a seat 
on his right, and Kitey to one on his left. 

“ Now,” began Harry, — and then he sud¬ 
denly stopped and glared at Wamby, whose 
face showed an almost irresistible tendency to 
burst out laughing. 

“ What are you grinning at ? ” demanded 
Harry sternly. 

“ Please excuse me, master,” said Wamby ; 
“ but you do look awfully funny ! ” 

He certainly did look comical. The King’s 
mantle was like a little baby’s cape on his 
shoulders, and the collar of it would not reach 
half-way around his neck. Wamby’s pointed 
hat was so small that it simply perched on 
top of his head. And the crown, with the 
hat poking through it, while it was very beauti¬ 
ful, with its gold and diamonds and rubies, yet 
looked like some little toy crown. 

As Harry thought of it all, he nearly burst 
out laughing himself, especially when he noticed 
how solemnly he was holding up that ridiculous 
hat-pin sceptre. But of course he realized that 
it would never do to laugh as long as he was 
king, so he frowned very hard at Wamby, and 


6o 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


said in a solemn tone, to one of his fifty armed 
men, “ Cause all of the Pin Elves to assemble 
in my presence. Take some soldiers with you 
and bring hither also the former King and 
Smithkin.” 

“ Now,” continued Harry, when this had 
been done, “let us proceed to business.” 

But before he had a chance to say more, 
there was a loud knock on the outside of the 
door by which they had come in, and, as if 
in answer to it, another loud knock was heard 
on a door at the opposite side of the Hall. 

Harry leaned over towards Wamby, and 
whispered, “ What does that mean ? ” 

Wamby shook his head seriously, and re¬ 
plied, “ I don’t know.” 


CHAPTER VII. 


A NEW KING. 

Everybody looked at everybody else, and 
then all looked at Harry, as if to say, “ What 
shall we do ? ” 

Harry pondered a minute, and finally ordered 
a troop of his armed men to proceed to the 
nearest door first, and see who was there. 
They did so, and soon returned, followed by a 
large number of the ex-King’s body-guard. The 
soldiers looked much bewildered at seeing Harry 
on the throne, but as he held up the sceptre 
they all bowed very low before him. 

“ Where have you been ? ” demanded Harry. 

The leader bowed low again, and answered, 
“ If it please Your Royal Majesty, we were sent 
by the King — that is, by the former King—to 
look for you and Wamby.” 

“Well,’’said Harry, “you have found us, so you 
may go and stand along the wall over there.” 


6 2 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


The soldiers obeyed, and ranged themselves 
along the wall like a lot of naughty schoolboys. 

The other door being opened, a second body 
of soldiers entered, and were ordered to stand 
along the opposite wall. 

“ Now,” said Harry, “ let us again proceed 
to business. Bring the ex-King before me.” 

When the former King was brought, Harry 
proceeded: “You are charged with being a 
tyrant. You have unlawfully punished over a 
thousand of your subjects, and have been a bad 
fellow in other ways, so I hear. Have you any¬ 
thing to answer ? ” 

The deposed monarch looked sullen, and 
made no reply. 

“ Well,” said Harry, “ I’ll put it to a vote. 
All who know that the charges against the ex- 
King are true, please say ‘ aye.’ ” 

A perfect chorus of “ ayes ” rang through the 
Hall. 

“ Now, all who believe the charges are false, 
say ‘ no,’ ” continued Harry. 

“ No ! ” yelled the Lord of the Safety-Pin. 

“ You’re a prisoner yourself and haven’t any 
right to vote,” said Harry. “ Bring that fellow 
here.” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 63 

The Lord of the Safety-Pin shook his little 
fist at Harry, as he stood before him, and cried 
out shrilly, “ You are a common mortal, and 
have no right to be our king! I hate you ! 
You stole my slave Wamby. I’m glad I stuck 
you with a pin. ’Twas I had you and Wamby 
arrested ! ’Twas I — ” 

When he had gotten thus far, he choked and 
spluttered with rage. 

“ Here! ” cried Harry, “ hand him up to 
me ! ” Taking the vicious little fellow by the 
collar, he laid him across his knee and gave him 
a sound spanking, while the assembled elves 
danced and shouted with delight. 

“ Take from him all his safety-pins,” said 
Harry, “ and give them to Wamby, who will di¬ 
vide them among the most worthy of the es¬ 
quires and retainers of the Safety-Pin Order. 
Then shut up the fellow in prison for two 
months, and after that let him begin over again 
as a common Pin Elf.” 

“ And now,” went on Harry, “ for the third 
time, let us dispose of the ex-King. Which one 
of you elves has been down with the Gnomes 
the longest ? ” 

Kitey arose and said, “ If it please Your 


64 the prince of the pin elves. 


Royal Majesty, I have ; fifteen years ago, as you 
mortals count time, was I banished to the mines.” 

“ Is that correct according to records ? ” 
Harry asked of the Grand Royal Recorder. 

“If it please Your Royal Majesty, it is cor¬ 
rect.” responded that individual. 

“ Then listen to my sentence,” said Harry. 
“ The ex-King is to be sent to the Gnomes to 
work in the mines for fifteen years. After that 
he is to become a retainer in the Order of the 
Hat-Pin, with a chance to work his way up, if 
he behaves himself. If any of you object to 
the sentence, don’t be afraid to speak out.” 
For he noticed that many of the elves looked 
dissatisfied. 

“ The sentence is too light,” cried a number 
of voices. 

“ Well,” said Harry, “ we mustn’t be too 
hard. Since I have been king I can see how 
easy it is to be tyrannical. 

“Now bring Smithkin here. Smithkin, I 
forgive you. You were faithful to your former 
master, be just as faithful to your new king. 
But you must begin over again as a common 
soldier, so that by obedience you may learn 
better how to command. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 65 

“ As for you fifty soldiers who led us hither, 
each one of you is hereby appointed an officer 
over fifty men. 

“ The elves who have been in the mines are 
to take the positions they had before they were 
banished. 

“ Have you all those orders written down 
in the records ? ” he demanded of the Grand 
Recorder. 

“ I have, Your Majesty,” was the reply. 

“ Kitey,” continued Harry, “ I appoint you 
Grand Royal Prime Minister. Get up, Wamby, 
and give him that seat at my right.” 

Wamby complied, but his face wore a disap¬ 
pointed and grieved look, as if he thought it 
hardly fair for Harry to pass by him and give 
to Kitey the place of honor. 

“ Now,” said Harry, “ I am going to abdicate, 
and you must elect a new king.” 

So saying, he attempted to rise, but found 
himself unable to do so. The throne was made 
for a Pin Elf, not for a good-sized boy, and it 
was so small that Harry had become wedged 
fast. The elves perceived at once what the 
trouble was, and forgetting all fear and decorum, 
laughed and danced about with glee, shouting, 


66 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

‘'You’ve got to stay on the throne ! You can’t 
get away ! You’ll have to be our king always ! ” 

But after tugging away until he grew red in 
the face, Harry managed to wriggle loose and 
stand up. 

“ No, no,” he cried ; “you must have a Pin 
Elf for your King. I have been here a long 
time, and want to go home ; my folks will be 
very anxious about me. I nominate Wamby as 
king, — all who are in favor of the nomination 
say ‘ aye.’ ” 

The elves saw that Harry meant it, and all 
shouted “ aye ” lustily. 

“ Sit down, Wamby,” said Harry. For little 
Wamby was standing in open-mouthed wonder, 
and seemed hardly to understand what was 
being done. Harry handed him the hat-pin, 
and put on him the crown and royal mantle. 

“ Do you all promise to be faithful to Wamby, 
and obey him as long as he is a good king ? ” 
cried Harry. 

“ We do,” was the unanimous response. 

“ Now, Wamby, stand up,” said Harry. “ Do 
you promise to be a good, kind king, and to rule 
according to the laws ? ” 

“ I do,” replied Wamby. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 67 

(( Everything is settled, then,” said Harry, 
stepping down from the dais ; “ so, wishing you 
all good luck and good-by, I’ll go. Good-by, 
Warn by. Here’s your hat.” 

“ Wait a moment,” said Wamby; and turning 
to the crowd of elves, he addressed them as fol¬ 
lows : “ Fellow Pin Elves, although Harry re¬ 
fuses to remain king over us, a position he well 
deserves, I feel sure he will not decline election as a 
prince of the royal family of Hat-Pins.” This 
suggestion met with great approval, and Harry was 
unanimously elected a Prince of the Hat-Pins, 
with all the rights and privileges of the order. 

When the ceremony was over, Harry once 
more said good-by to all the elves. He took 
off Wamby’s hat, but as soon as it was re¬ 
moved, Pin Elves and throne and everything 
disappeared, and he was standing in a bare, 
empty room. 

“ This won’t do,” he cried. “ I must keep 
the hat on till I get above ground.” And he 
clapped it on top of his head again, when in¬ 
stantly everything became once more visible. 

“ We’ll all accompany you to the entrance,” 
said Wamby. 

So off they went in grand style, Wamby and 


68 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


Harry ahead, with Kitey on one side, and on 
the other side the Grand Royal Recorder, an 
old, withered elf, with large, gold-bowed spec¬ 
tacles perched on his sharp nose, and a big pen 
behind his ear; then came some of the sol¬ 
diers ; next, the lords, with their knights and 
esquires; then more soldiers, and in the rear a 
large multitude of the ordinary elves. 

Finally they reached the chamber with the 
trap-door that opened into Central Park. Wamby 
and Kitey, with a number of others, ascended 
the steps with Harry. When they reached the 
top, Harry turned and waved good-by to the 
elves below. 

“ Oh,” cried Wamby, “ I’ve forgotten some¬ 
thing. Where is the Grand Royal Treasurer?” 

A tall elf, with a pouch hanging at his side, 
stepped forward. 

“ Have you jewels in your pouch ? ” inquired 
Wamby. 

“ I have, Your Majesty,” replied the Treas¬ 
urer, and he opened the pouch. 

Harry looked, and rubbed his eyes in amaze¬ 
ment, for the pouch was crammed full of flash¬ 
ing and sparkling diamonds, rubies, and emeralds 
of immense size. 




































































































































































































































* 














































































fe 

















































































THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


7 i 


Wamby smiled at the expression on Harry’s 
face. “Help yourself, Prince,” said he. “Keep 
them as a slight token of my gratitude.” 

“ I don’t want them all,” said Harry. “ One 
of them alone is worth a fortune. I shall just 
take one of each kind, and thank you, old chap,” 
and selecting three of the precious stones, he 
slipped them into his pocket. 

“ Here is your door-pin,” said Wamby. “ I 
shall be glad to have you come down again at 
any time. Will you promise to come if I ever 
need you ? ” 

“ Why, certainly,” answered Harry. 

“Then listen,” said Wamby; “if you should 
see a little green twig sticking in the pin-hole 
in the centre of this rock, it will be a sign that 
I want you. Now let me see if the coast is 
clear.” 

Inserting his own door-pin in the hole over¬ 
head, he repeated: 

“ Pin, pin, 

Trusty and stout, 

I am within 
And want to look out.” 

“All right,” he said, as he glanced through 
the crack of the door; “ no one is near the 


72 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


rock. But a Park policeman is coming in the 
distance, so we must hurry.” 

Harry hastily snatched off Wamby’s hat, and 
holding it out felt Wamby take it. Of course the 
elves became invisible the instant the hat was off. 
Then the door opened, and Harry felt his legs 
grasped by a number of elfish hands, and he 
was lifted up bodily and tossed through the 
opening so violently that he rolled off the rock 
upon the grass. 

When he jumped up, he was sure he heard 
Wamby’s voice, shouting, “ Good-by, Prince 
Harry! ” and it seemed to him that he could see 
the trap-door just settling into place. But as 
the Park policeman came up at that moment, 
he looked away from the rock and began brush¬ 
ing the dust from his clothes. When he reached 
his room at home, he put the wonderful door- 
pin, with the jewels Wamby had given him, 
carefully in a little box. “ I have had some sur¬ 
prising adventures,” he thought, “and, at any 
rate, I have given the Pin Elves a good king.” 


• CHAPTER VIII. 


THE PASSAGE OF THE TOAD. 

A few weeks later Harry went to the Park 
again. When he came to the rock he saw a 
little green twig sticking in the pin-hole. 

“ Halloa ! ” he cried. “ Has Wamby got into 
trouble already ? I hope he hasn’t been play¬ 
ing the tyrant himself. Well, at any rate, I 
must help him, as I promised to do.” 

He had neglected to bring the door-pin with 
him, so he hastened back to get it. 

“ What else can I take ? ” he said to himself. 
“ I wish I had a weapon of some kind.” 

The* nearest approach to a weapon that he 
could find, however, was simply a little pop-gun, 
or pop-pistol rather, belonging to his younger 
brother, and a steel paper-cutter shaped like a 
knife. These he slipped into his pockets, and 
then hurried back to the rock in the Park. 

The chamber beneath the trap - door was 


74 THE prince of the pin elves. 

vacant when he descended into it. Knowing 
that extreme wariness and caution were neces¬ 
sary, he examined every part of the chamber 
carefully before proceeding further, and was 
rewarded by the discovery of an elfin hat thrust 
into a crevice of the rock about the height of 
his head from the floor. 

“ It looks like Wamby’s,” he said, putting 
the hat on his head. “The little chap must 
have placed it here for me.” 

He went forward cautiously, without seeing 
anything amiss until he drew near to the door 
where the two guards were stationed, when 
suddenly he stopped and uttered an exclamation 
of dismay; for there, guarding the door, stood 
two tall, hideous Gnomes. The reason they 
had not noticed him was because just at that 
moment they were occupied in opening the 
door. 

Harry stood rooted to the spot in amazement 
for an instant. But when the door opened and 
showed him a large troop of armed Gnomes 
coming through it towards him, he regained 
control of himself quickly enough, and turned 
and ran back along the passageway at full 
speed. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 75 

The Gnomes at once caught sight of him 
and started in hot pursuit. Harry was fleet- 
footed, but he soon discovered that Gnomes are 
terrible fellows in a race, and that his pursuers 
were slowly gaining upon him. 

At the foot of the hill of glass was the 
entrance to a side-passage. Into this the boy 
dashed, and a short distance further dodged 
into a cross-passage, along which he had run 
but a few paces when he stumbled and fell 
across an open trap-door in the floor. Luckily, 
the opening was small, or he would surely have 
plunged down head foremost to destruction. 

His pursuers were out of sight, and scarcely 
knowing what he was doing, he sprang through 
the trap-door, and pushing the door up into 
place, crouched upon the steps beneath it. A 
moment later he could hear the troop of Gnomes 
rushing along the passage just above his head. 

“Ha, ha!” he chuckled to himself. “Trot 
along, my boys, — but you’ll have a hard time 
finding me! ” 

When he had recovered his breath, he felt 
his way down to the bottom of the stone steps, 
and began slowly creeping forward. 

“I don’t like this,” he muttered. For the 


j6 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


place was pitch-dark. “I’m liable to tumble 
into some pitfall, or maybe slide head first down 
one of those beastly hills of glass.” 

There was nothing to do, though, but feel his 
way along in a very stealthy, uncanny fashion 
that made the cold creeps course up and down 
his backbone. 

“ Gracious ! this is perfectly awful! ” he 
exclaimed, as his hand touched a specially 
cold spot on the rock, that felt like something 
slimy and alive. “ I thought it was a snail, or 
something! ” 

He stopped, and wiped the cold perspiration 
from his forehead. 

“ Pshaw ! ” he continued, “ what a big fool 
I am! Afraid of the dark! I’m a brave one 
to rescue Wamby! ” and mustering up courage, 
he went on more boldly. 

Presently a faint light appeared in the dis¬ 
tance ahead, causing him to renew his wariness 
and slacken his pace. As he softly advanced, 
he descried an elf sitting in the passage, with 
a lantern-box on the floor beside him. Harry 
hesitated an instant, but thinking he had noth¬ 
ing to fear from one Pin Elf, he advanced openly. 
Upon hearing the footsteps the elf immediately 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. ^ 

shut his lantern-box, but as he leaned over to do 
so, the light flashed in his face brightly, and 
showed Harry that it was his old friend Kitey. 

“ Halloa, Kitey, old fellow, what are you 
doing here?” exclaimed Harry. 

“Is it you, Prince Harry ? ” said Kitey, in 
a tone of delight; and opening his lantern-box 
again, he ran forward and embraced Harry’s 
feet. 

“Why, little chap, what’s the trouble?” 
inquired the boy. 

“ How did you get down here ? ” asked the 
elf in return. “ Don’t talk loud, or we may be 
overheard.” 

In a few words Harry related his escape from 
the Gnomes. 

“ So I left that trap-door open in my hurry ! ” 
said Kitey, at the conclusion of the narrative. 
“ It is lucky you found it, instead of those ras¬ 
cally Gnomes.” 

“ But what are the Gnomes doing here ? ” 
asked Harry ; “ and why are you hiding ? and 
what has become of Wamby ? ” 

“ Sit down, Prince, and I will tell you all 
about it,” said Kitey. “After you left us 
everything went along nicely for awhile. Catti- 


y8 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

sack, the ex-King, was sent down to the Gnomes, 
and old Grumpy, the Lord of the Safety-Pin, 
was imprisoned. But Grumpy, the old sneak, 
behaved so nicely that Wamby felt sorry for 
him, and set him free, and restored him to his 
former position. That was the real beginning 
of the mischief. 

“ Old Grumpy immediately began secretly 
forming a party against Wamby, and was almost 
ready to begin a rebellion, when Wamby dis¬ 
covered the plot, and sent Grumpy to the 
Gnomes. That was the second blunder. 

“ Soon after that, Wamby took it into his 
head that the soldiers needed another com¬ 
mander, and as Smithkin was experienced, and 
had been behaving beautifully, he reinstated 
him in his old position. That was the third 
blunder. 

“ Of course, Prince Harry, you know I am 
not blaming King Wamby,—at the time we 
all thought he was doing just right ; but it 
seems he wasn’t, for Cattisack and Grumpy 
at once began plotting with the King of the 
Gnomes, and out of revenge offered to deliver 
to him the Pin Elf dominions. They both 
knew all the secret passageways, and how many 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 79 

soldiers we had, and where the guards were 
stationed, and so it was very easy for them to 
lead the whole army of the Gnomes right to the 
Grand Royal Reception Hall. 

“ It all happened yesterday. Wamby was 
sitting on his throne holding a reception, and 
I was seated on his right. All of a sudden the 
door to the left of the throne opened a little, 
and then closed again. It was done quickly 
and quietly, but I was looking in that direction 
and saw through the doorway a Gnome’s ugly 
face. Instantly surmising that something was 
wrong, I darted forward and slipped all the 
bolts in the door. That made the door impreg¬ 
nable against any assault of the Gnomes, and 
we should have been safe, had it not been for 
that Smithkin. He must have been in collu¬ 
sion with Cattisack, for no sooner had I secured 
the door than Smithkin ran thither, dashed me 
aside, undid the bolts, and admitted the Gnoman 
army. 

“ Even then we could easily have held our 
own and driven them back, for, you know, one 
Pin Elf is equal to three Gnomes, because we 
are so quick and active, and they are so slow 
and heavy ; but some of the Safety-Pin men 


8o 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


rallied around old Grumpy, and at least half 
of the body-guard went over to Smithkin, and 
as the rest of us were entirely unprepared they 
soon got the better of us. 

“ Seeing that all was lost, Wamby whispered 
to me, ‘ Quick, Kitey! while there is a chance, 
run up to the rock in Central Park and stick 
a little green twig in the pin-hole, as a signal 
to our good Prince Harry ; and put my hat in 
the chamber, where he can find it.’ 

“Fortunately, in the excitement of the con¬ 
flict, the Gnomes had neglected to guard any 
of the doors, and I escaped without being seen, 
and placed the green twig in the hole. On my 
return, however, I discovered six Gnomes on 
guard outside the door, so I quietly retreated 
and made my way down here, where I have 
been ever since.” 

“Aren’t we in danger of being discovered 
here?” inquired Harry. 

“ Oh, no, Prince,” replied Kitey; “ no one 
would dare come here. This is the terrible 
Passage of the Toad.” 

“ Passage of the Toad! ” repeated Harry. 
“ What do you mean ? ” 

“Why,” exclaimed Kitey, “this passage was 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. Si 

constructed ages ago, as a secret means of 
escape, in case our dominions should be in¬ 
vaded. It leads from the Grand Reception 
Hall, and branches off into several small pas¬ 
sageways, and we are in one of those smaller, 
branching passageways. But just as the whole 
thing was completed, a toad made its appear¬ 
ance in the main passage. Of course the en¬ 
trances were at once closed, and no one ever 
after ventured to enter. It was only necessity 
that drove me hither.” 

“ But, Kitey, I don’t understand you. How 
could a toad get in the passage ? and if he did 
get in, what difference did it make ? ” 

“ I can’t tell you how he got in,” replied 
Kitey, “ but he certainly was there, and doubt¬ 
less is there to this day. And you ask, what 
difference does it make ? Why, don’t you know 
that elves cannot bear the contact, or even the 
near presence, of a toad ? It prostrates us com¬ 
pletely. So there was nothing for us to do but 
shut up the passage, which has been called by 
us ever since the Passage of the Toad. Evi¬ 
dently, the horrible creature is not near this 
branch passage where we are now, or I should 
hardly have been able to come down here.” 


82 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


"Well, never mind the toad at present,” said 
Harry. “ What do you suppose has become of 
Wamby and the rest of the Pin Elves ? ” 

“ I think they have been sent down to work 
in the mines, and the Gnomes have taken pos¬ 
session of our kingdom,” answered Kitey. 

“In other words,” said Harry, “the Gnomes 
are on top, and the Pin Elves down below. The 
wicked elves have ousted the good elves and 
made slaves of them.” 

“Exactly!” replied Kitey. “That is what 
I believe has taken place.” He sighed dole¬ 
fully, and continued : “ Poor Wamby ! I wish 
we could help him. It is awful to have to work 
down in Gnome Land. I was there, and know 
all about it.” 

“ That’s so ! ” exclaimed Harry eagerly ; “ I 
suppose you know all about the ins and outs of 
the place. Your knowledge may be a great 
help to us if we go down to rescue our friends. 
Meanwhile, 1 should like to know if they are 
really there now, and whether the Gnomes are 
in possession of our dominions.” 

“You might find out, if you are not afraid of 
the toad,” said Kitey. “ This little passage will 
lead you to the main passage, and if you follow 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 83 

that to the end you will find a flight of steps 
and a trap-door at the top of them opening into 
the Reception Hall. The door opens in the floor 
of the dais, just behind the throne. You can 
take a peep through it and see what is taking 
place in the Hall. 

“ I’ll do it! ” cried Harry, springing up. 
“Just lend me your lantern-box, so that I can 
see my way.” 

“ One word, Prince, before you go,” said 
Kitey. “ Find out where the toad is, and 
please keep him away from this place. Above 
all, do not touch him ! for if you do, I cannot 
endure your presence.” 

“All right, old chap,” returned Harry, “I’ll 
bear it in mind. Don’t you be afraid of Mr. 
Toad! I’ll look after him, and will be back 
here soon.” 


CHAPTER IX. 


A PERILOUS TRIP. 

In the main passage Harry found the toad, a 
small and rather thin creature, not at all danger¬ 
ous-looking. As Harry held the light close to 
it, the little animal blinked its eyes as though 
half-blind, and seemed too dispirited to hop 
away. 

“ Poor little hoppy ! ” said the boy; “ I bet 
you’re almost starved to death here. Never 
mind! I’ll take you back on top of the earth 
when I go.” 

The toad was plainly in no condition to 
travel as far as Kitey, so Harry let him remain 
where he was, and went on to the end of the 
passage and mounted the steps. 

Kitey had directed him where to find the pin¬ 
hole in the trap-door above, and when he had 
inserted the pin, he shut the lantern-box, pressed 
upon the pin three times, and said : 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 85 

“ Pin, pin, 

Trusty and stout, 

I am within 
And want to look out.” 

The door opened slightly and he peeped 
through, and seeing no one upon the dais, he 
opened the door wide, and crawling through, 
peered cautiously around the edge of the 
throne. 

The Hall was empty, and Harry’s first 
thought was that perhaps he had lost the 
elfin hat from his head, and therefore the Hall 
only seemed empty. But the hat was still there 
when he felt for it, so he quietly remained wait¬ 
ing for some one to appear. After a time a 
number of Gnomes entered, bearing dishes of 
various kinds of food, which they deposited upon 
a table near the throne. Then they all withdrew. 

Quick as a flash Harry darted forward, and 
dumping the food from the dishes upon the 
table-cloth, he gathered up the cloth by the 
corners, and carried it with its savory contents 
down through the trap-door to the passageway, 
and then ran up the steps again to his hiding- 
place behind the throne. Just as he reached 
his position, two doors opened. Through one 


86 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


filed the servants who had set the table, and 
through the other came the King of the Gnomes 
with his attendants. 

Imagine, if you can, how they all looked when 
they beheld the empty table and the empty 
dishes scattered around on the floor! 

The servants were so astonished at the sud¬ 
den and mysterious disappearance of the food, 
that they forgot even to make obeisance to the 
King. As for the King, he became black in 
the face with rage, and his terrible right eye 
fairly flashed fire. 

“ Where are the viands ? ” he growled through 
his bushy beard. 

The Head Caterer, who had been staring 
open-mouthed at the table, tremblingly pros¬ 
trated himself, and said, “ If it please Your Royal 
Majesty, the table was duly set anon, but the 
viands have disappeared, I know not where.” 

“ Disappeared ! ” quoth the King; “ how dare 
you allow the royal victuals to disappear ? Pro¬ 
duce more food at once ! ” 

“I cannot, Your Majesty,” whimpered the 
Caterer ; “ the cooking-fire has gone out.” 

“ Glumdozo ! ” roared the King in a mighty 
voice, and every Gnome present trembled at the 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 8 / 

sound of the word, which made Harry suppose 
it was a terrible Gnoman oath. Thereupon the 
King grasped his golden pickax by the handle, 
and hurled it at the luckless Caterer. 

Fortunately for himself the Caterer was peer¬ 
ing out of the corner of his eye, and adroitly 
dodged the pickax, which bounded along the 
floor and smashed a number of the rare and 
costly dishes. 

“ Hummelskrash ! ” roared the King. “ Take 
the knave and his fellows to work in the mines 
with the Pin Elves, and tell Wamby to assign 
them the hottest and hardest work there. 

The poor Caterer and the rest of the Gnomes 
who had served the dinner were at once hus¬ 
tled away, and the King, with his courtiers, ap¬ 
proached the dais. Harry waited long enough 
only to see that Cattisack, Grumpy, and Smith- 
kin were among the King’s followers, and then 
he retreated hurriedly through the trap-door and 
made his way back to Kitey. 

“ Are you hungry, old chap ? ” were the first 
words he uttered. 

“ Hungry ! ” exclaimed Kitey, “ I’m nearly 
starved ! ” 

“Then let us fall to without delay,” said 


88 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


Harry, opening the table-cloth and seating him¬ 
self on the floor beside it. 

“ Did you see the toad ? ” asked Kitey 
anxiously. 

“ Yes. Don’t worry about him, for he’s too 
starved to hop far. I have found out the state 
of affairs. The Gnomes have possession of our 
dominions, and our people, all except Catti- 
sack, Grumpy, and Smithkin, and a few of their 
adherents, are banished to the Gnomes’ old 
quarters.” 

Then he told Kitey all that had happened 
during his absence. They both nearly choked 
with suppressed laughter during the recital, but 
at its conclusion Kitey grew very sober, and 
said, “ I wish we could help Wamby and the 
others to escape.” 

Harry was thoughtful a moment. “ Where 
do the rest of these branching passages lead ? ” 
said he. 

“ I have it! ” cried Kitey excitedly. “ If 
that horrible toad would keep out of the way, 
I could take you to one passage that leads in 
the right direction.” 

“ All right,” said Harry, “ I’ll attend to the 
toad.” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


Tearing off a small piece of the table-cloth, he 
continued, “I’ll tie him up in this piece, and 
while I am gone you can wrap up the rest of 
the food in the table-cloth for us to take with us.” 



Proceeding to where the toad was, Harry 
made a little bag of the piece of cloth and 
gently tied the animal in it. 

“I’m sorry to do it, hoppy,” he said; “but if 
you’ll only be quiet a little while, I’ll take you 
out of this hole when I go.” 







90 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

When he came back, Kitey was awaiting him 
with the food tied up. Shouldering the bundle, 
Harry followed the elf to the main passage, and 
thence to one of the other smaller passages 
branching off. This they followed for a dis¬ 
tance till they came to a long, descending 
stairway, at the bottom of which was a door. 
Opening the door, Kitey held aloft his light. 

“ Why, it’s an underground river ! ” Harry 
exclaimed in surprise. 

And so it was, a gently flowing stream of 
water, so clear and limpid that one could see 
plainly the smooth, rocky bottom. The stream 
was about forty feet wide, and the roof of the 
tunnel through which it flowed was perhaps 
fifteen or twenty feet high above the surface 
of the water. 

“ Where does it come from ? ” asked Harry. 

“ I don’t know,” Kitey replied. “ It must 
come from above ground somewhere. But, 
although I don’t know exactly where the 
stream comes from, I can tell you where it 
goes, and that is straight to the lake that 
you crossed when you went to the country 
of the Gnomes. Can’t we go this way to see 
Wamby and help him ? ” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 9 1 

“ Perhaps,” Harry said, glancing about. “ Is 
there a boat here ? ” 

“ None that I know of,” said Kitey; “ but I 
am sure, Prince, that you can devise some way 
of getting there without a boat.” 

Harry pondered for several minutes. “ A 
raft would answer the purpose, if we only had 
something to make it of. I say, Kitey, give 
me that lantern, and you wait here till I come 
back.” And he hurried up the passage. 

Not long after, Kitey beheld him returning 
down the long stairway with a low, broad table 
on his back. 

“Where did you get it ? ” exclaimed the elf. 

“In the Reception Hall,” the boy replied, as 
he deposited his burden on the floor. “ The 
Hall was empty, and it was the only thing I 
could find that might do. I broke one of the 
other tables and brought these two pieces of 
board to steer with. What fun it would be to 
see the old King when he discovers it! I bet 
he’ll say something worse than ‘ hummyslash ! ’ 
or whatever the word is. Now, old man, let 
me slide this thing into the water.” And turn¬ 
ing the table bottom side up, he carefully 
launched it. 


92 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

“Tight as a drum, and floats like a cork! ” 
he cried delightedly. “ Let me try my weight 
upon it. All right ! it bears beautifully. I’ll 
put the food in the bow, and you can sit in the 
stern, and steer with that short piece of board ; 
and I’ll sit in the middle and use that longer 
board, to keep the craft from turning around 
or running against the sides of the tunnel. All 
aboard ! Off we go, then ! ” 

The little lantern-box had been tied to one of 
the front table-legs in such a way as to keep the 
light from shining in their eyes and yet light up 
the tunnel ahead of them. The only trouble 
they had was to keep their improvised boat from 
drifting sidewise; but a little practice enabled 
them to overcome that tendency, and they weie 
soon floating easily and gently down the stream. 

“ Isn’t this jolly ! ” exclaimed Harry. “ We’re 
running along at a good pace now, you can tell 
by looking at the sides of the tunnel.” 

“ Our speed has been increasing a great deal 
for the last few moments, ” said Kitey. “ You 
know we moved quite slowly when we started. 
Listen, Prince ! do you hear anything ? ” 

“I hear nothing unusual,” replied Harry, 
putting his hand to his ear, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 93 

“ Listen again ! ” said Kitey ; “ it is growing 
louder every second.” 

Harry did so. “ Why,” said he, “ it seems 
to me I do hear some kind of a noise ahead. 
A kind of a roaring sound. Say, Kitey, old 
man, it sounds like a waterfall! ” 

By this time they were being carried along 
at a terrific pace, but the water was smooth 
and glassy, with only an occasional ripple to 
indicate how rapidly it was gliding downward. 

The elf sprang to his feet and peered for¬ 
ward. “There are rapids ahead. I can see 
the foam and waves. Here they are ! Quick, 
Prince, hold on for your life! ” and he crouched 
down and grasped the edge of the table: 

Harry threw down his piece of board and 
clutched a table-leg, and so they hung on for 
dear life, expecting every moment to be dashed 
over a waterfall, or to be spilled out in the 
boiling and foaming waters. But their stanch 
little craft kept right side up in fine shape, 
although it behaved very queerly otherwise. 
Sometimes it bobbed along sideways, some¬ 
times it dashed forward stern foremost; once 
it struck an eddy, and began spinning around 
till they grew dizzy; once it slid upon the 


94 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

back of a partially submerged rock, stuck there 
a moment, and then plunged forward, splashing 
them from head to foot. 

But no waterfall appeared, and gradually the 
water grew quieter, and they were floating tran¬ 
quilly along out of danger. 

“ Tell you what it is, Prince,” said Kitey, “ that 
was a narrow escape. Were you scared ? ” 

“ Scared ! ” replied the boy; “I’d have given 
anything to have been on top of the solid 
ground, especially that time we stuck on the 
rock, hey, old man ? ” 

“ Yes, sir ! ” said the elf emphatically. “ But 
we’re all right now,” he added, as the sides and 
roof of the tunnel suddenly disappeared from 
view, “ for here we are on the lake, and there is 
the light of the Gnomes’ fires in the distance.” 

While he was speaking, the table gradually 
slackened its pace, and finally came to a stand¬ 
still on the calm bosom of the lake. 


CHAPTER X. 


THE THREE JEWELS. 

“I think we shall have to paddle our own 
canoe,” said Harry. ‘‘Get on this side with 
your board, and I’ll take the other side. It will 
be slow work, but we can do no better.” 

The plan did not work, however, for Kitey’s 
piece of board was too heavy for the little fel¬ 
low, so Harry endeavored to paddle the craft 
alone; but their progress was so slow and 
crooked that they would probably have been 
there to this day had they found no other means 
of propulsion. 

“I think it would go straighter,” Kitey sug¬ 
gested, “if you should give one stroke at a 
time on each side, and make the strokes even.” 

To which Harry replied, “ I say, old fellow, 
if you know so well how to paddle this vessel, 
you’d better do it, and I’ll resign. I think, 


9 6 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

though, if you ’tend to your own knitting, and 
steer a little, it will go easier.” 

“ Steer! ” Kitey said, in an injured tone ; 
“ how can a little fellow like me steer, when you 
take one weak stroke on one side, and then two 
great, big strokes on the other, and turn the 
table half-way around ? ” 

As they were creeping, or rather wobbling, 
slowly along, most of the time sidewise like a 
crab, all of a sudden they ran into a strong 
current of wind, blowing directly towards the 
land of the Gnomes. 

“Hurrah!” shouted Kitey. “The wind is 
turned on over at our place and will help us 
across.” 

“It will do more than help,” said Harry. 
“ I’m going to make it do all the work.” 

So saying, he hastily untied the table-cloth 
and emptied out the food, and then fastened 
the cloth across the two front legs of the table 
and made a very fair substitute for a sail. 

“Now,” said he, “we’ll both steer, and perhaps 
we can keep the old craft headed straight.” 

After that they went along finely, and at a 
fair rate of speed, and eventually drew near the 
landing-place at Gnome Land. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 97 

“What plan have you in view, Prince Harry ?” 
inquired Kitey. 

“ I have no plan at present/’ Harry answered, 
much to the elf’s astonishment, for he thought 
that Harry had a plan ready for any emergency 
which might arise. 

“ I want to find out how Wamby and the 
rest are situated,” explained Harry; “we’ll 
consult with him before we settle upon any 
definite plan of action.” 

Great was the excitement as they sailed up 
to the landing-place in their strange boat. In 
a second the shore was crowded with Pin Elves, 
dancing with glee, gesticulating wildly, and ask- 
innumerable questions. 

“ Stand back, and give us room to land! ” 
said Harry peremptorily. “ I can’t answer any 
questions now,” he added, for he noticed that 
some Gnomes, who were poking the fires near 
by, had stopped work and pricked up their ears 
to hear what was said. “ Tell me where 
Wamby is.” 

“ In the Reception Hall,” shouted an officious 
little chap. “ I’ll show you the way, master.” 

“Never mind,” said Harry, “we’ll find him. 
Go ahead, Kitey, and I’ll follow! ” 


98 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

The elves fell back and bowed low as Kitey 
advanced, but no one ventured to follow him 
and Harry. 

The two comrades made their way rapidly to 
the entrance of the Grand Royal Reception 
Hall, and were delighted, on being ushered in, 
to see Wamby seated on the throne at the fur¬ 
ther end. The little fellow did not wait for 
them to reach him, but before they were half¬ 
way down the Hall rushed forward joyfully to 
meet them. 

“ Oh, Prince ! master ! ” he cried, and began 
hugging Harry’s feet. 

Harry lifted him up in both hands and gave 
him a gentle squeeze. “ How d’ye do, old 
chap ! ” he exclaimed. “ I’m awfully glad to 
find you safe ! ” 

“ And here’s Kitey, too ! ” cried Wamby, 
embracing his old friend. “ Come and sit down 
and tell me where you have been, and how you 
came here.” 

When they had told their story, Wamby dis¬ 
cussed with them their future plans. They 
finally decided to gather all of the Pin Elves 
together, and attempt to recover their own 
dominions from the Gnomes. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


99 


While messengers were sent to collect the 
elves, the three friends went to the landing- 
place. 

“Why,” said Harry, when they came there, 
“the wind is still blowing from the other side.” 

“ Oh, I forgot about that! ” Wamby cried 
in dismay. “ It has been blowing all the time 
we have been here. I think the Gnomes on the 
other side keep it turned on, in order to pre¬ 
vent our sailing across.” 

“ Well, say,” said Kitey, “ it seems to me if 
we turn on the wind here, it will be strong 
enough to more than counteract the other 
wind.” 

The suggestion was acted upon, and it was 
found that the strong current there entirely 
overcame the current blowing towards them. 
Therefore they gathered together the whole 
fleet of the Gnoman ships, every Pin Elf 
scrambled aboard, and they were soon merrily 
sailing towards home. The Head Caterer of 
the King of the Gnomes and his men were 
left behind. As none of the vessels were left, 
it was, of course, impossible for them to follow 
the Pin Elves. 

The fleet made good progress at the start, 


IOO 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


but the speed diminished perceptibly as they 
proceeded, and when they were about half-way 
across, every ship came to a dead standstill. 

“ The Caterer must have turned off the 
wind ! ” exclaimed Wamby. 

“No, Your Majesty,” said Kitey, “for I can 
feel it blowing yet. Why, that’s funny! It 
seems to blow from both sides! ” 

“ I know what’s the matter,” cried Harry. 
“ The wind is turned on at both sides at once, 
and we are just in the middle, where the two 
opposing currents are equal; consequently, we 
can’t go forward or back. We are stuck here.” 

“ I don’t understand how it is, Prince,” said 
Kitey. 

“Why, it’s plain enough,” returned Harry. 
“ Suppose you and Wamby were pushing against 
each other with equal force, what would hap¬ 
pen ? ” 

“We’d both stand still,” answered Kitey. 

“Exactly!” said Harry; “and that is just 
our case. The wind is pushing us before and 
behind, and we are standing still. Now, if we 
could only paddle one of these boats across, we 
could turn off the wind, and then the rest of 
the fleet could sail over. There are no oars, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


IOI 


but these thwarts are light enough. Get two 
dozen of the strongest elves in here with me, 
and we’ll soon accomplish it.” 

The sails being taken down, the boat under 
Harry’s charge was paddled over. The wind 
was then turned off, the other vessels sailed 
across, and the elves disembarked. 

“Now, Wamby,” asked Harry, “how many 
weapons have you ? ” 

“ A thousand spears,” replied Wamby. 

It seems that the Pin Elves had all been dis¬ 
armed when banished, but Wamby had at once 
set a number of them at work manufacturing 
new spears, and they had completed about a 
thousand when Harry arrived. With these 
Harry armed a thousand of the elves. 

“Now,” said he to Wamby, “you take the 
rest of the men around to the armory and pro¬ 
cure arms for them, and then bring them to 
the room adjoining the Grand Reception Hall, 
where Kitey and I will be waiting with our 
force.” 

So saying, he and Kitey led the thousand 
armed elves to the place of rendezvous. When 
they had quietly entered the room, Harry tip¬ 
toed to the passage leading to the Reception 


102 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


Hall, and suddenly rushing in, grasped by the 
neck the two Gnomes guarding the door there, 
and carried them back to the room, where they 
were gagged and bound. Then, leaving orders 
for his men to follow at a given signal, he and 
Kitey entered the passage, with the intention of 
looking into the Reception Hall. 

They had gotten within about eight feet of 
the door, when suddenly, without any warning, 
the door flew open and a large body of the 
Gnomes rushed upon them. Poor little Kitey 
was seized by a dozen at once, and hustled 
into the Reception Hall before he had a chance 
to strike a blow. At the same time, a hundred 
Gnomes tripped up Harry with strong ropes, 
and despite his kicks and struggles he, too, was 
dragged into the Reception Hall, and was in a 
trice securely bound hand and foot. 

Then the door was shut and bolted, although 
the bolting was unnecessary, for the Pin Elves 
had been deprived of their door-pins when they 
had been banished. Harry still retained his pin 
concealed under the lapel of his coat, but Kitey 
had loaned his to Wamby. 

The two prisoners were carried before the 
King and laid upon the floor, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. IO3 

“Ha, ha!” laughed the King, in a snarling 
tone. “ We Gnomes are not quite so stupid as 
you imagined. My spies have been watching 
your movements ever since you landed. The 
thousand elves that came with you are safe 
where they are; they have no door-pin, and I 
shall just leave them alone there, and let them 
starve. 

“ As for Wamby and his crowd — ah, here 
is a messenger now that will tell us about them ! 
Make your report,” he said to Smithkin, who 
had just entered the hall. 

With an obsequious bow, Smithkin began : 
“ If it please Your Royal Majesty, we were wait¬ 
ing outside the chamber with the great - trap¬ 
door in the floor. Wamby and his followers 
presently appeared and entered the chamber 
without discovering our ambush. I cautiously 
crept forward and inserted my door-pin in 
the hole controlling the trap-door, and just as 
Wamby inserted his pin in the door leading out 
of the chamber, I pressed upon my pin and 
dumped them all into the dungeon below. As 
soon as the floor swung back into place, I ran 
forward and secured Wamby’s door-pin, which 
had remained sticking in the hole, and I now 


104 THE PRINCE of the pin elves. 


have the honor of presenting it to Your Maj¬ 
esty.” 

“ Good! ” cried the King, with a malicious 
chuckle. “So they’re safe too. Ha, ha! I’ll 
just let them starve with the others. Eh, 
Prince ? ” he went on, with a taunting look 
at Harry; “a fine Prince you are, to get your 
followers into such a scrape! Oh, I’ve a 
notion to kill you both at once! ” he growled 
savagely, and shook his pickax menacingly at 
them. “ But we’ll wait till after dinner, and 
then my royal colleague, Cattisack, and my 
Lord of the Safety-Pin can have the pleasure 
of torturing you a little. Take the prisoners 
over yonder, and you, Smithkin, guard them 
while we eat! ” 

The King arose, and with two attendant 
Gnomes reverently bearing his great, gray 
beard, he walked to the table and seated 
himself. The whole company followed his 
example, and soon they were all busily eating 
and talking. 

Meanwhile, the two prisoners had been 
dragged to one side of the Hall and left 
there, with no one but Smithkin near them. 

Smithkin looked glum, and no wonder j for 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 105 

after the work he had done, it was very hard to 
be obliged to perform guard duty and to have 
nothing to eat. Harry guessed his thoughts, 
and made up his mind to profit by his dis¬ 
content. 

“ Smithkin,” he whispered, “it’s rather mean 
not to give you anything to eat. I would treat 
you better than that if you were working for 
me.” 

Smithkin scowled, and said nothing. 

“ Is any one in the room looking this way ? ” 
asked Harry. 

The soldier glanced over the Hall, and shook 
his head slowly. 

“ Then,” continued Harry, “ slip your hand 
in my left coat-pocket, and take what you find 
there.” 

With a quick movement Smithkin did so, 
and drew forth the three jewels. He gave 
one glance at them, and then thrust them into 
the bosom of his jacket, and standing erect 
again, whispered, “ What do you want me 
to do ? ” 

“ Simply keep your eye turned away from me 
for a minute,” said Harry; “and don’t listen 
very hard.” 


IO6 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

With some little effort the boy managed to 
get his right hand loose enough to slip it into 
his coat-pocket, where he had placed the paper- 
cutter. Drawing it out, he inserted its point 
under the cords that bound his hands, and after 
a deal of sawing was able to cut one or two of 
the bonds, and free his hands. It was then an 
easy matter to get out his penknife, cut the 
bonds of Kitey, who was lying close beside him, 
and quietly reach down and sever the cords 
about his own ankles. 

All this while, Smithkin was staring stolidly 
at the opposite side of the Hall, with his back 
turned to the two prisoners. 

“ Lie perfectly still, Kitey,” whispered Harry. 

Then making sure that his limbs were free, 
he sprang to his feet, gave Smithkin a vigorous 
kick that sent him sprawling on his face, took 
Kitey in his arms, and dashing down the Hall, 
threw the little fellow on top of a piece of furni¬ 
ture like a wardrobe, standing against the wall, 
and vaulted up beside him. 

In an instant all was hubbub and excitement. 
Smithkin, with a shriek, grabbed his spear and 
rushed after Harry. The table where Grumpy 
and his adherents were eating was overturned, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 107 

and my Lord of the Safety-Pin was pinned 
to the floor under it, yelling and howling like 
mad. The Gnoman soldiers started for their 
spears. The King of the Gnomes tried unaided 
to push his chair back, and in some way his feet 
got tangled up in his beard, his chair upset, and 
he lay sprawling upon his back, with his great 
beard flopping in the gravy and other victuals 
on the table. 

In the midst of the rumpus some one called, 
“ Smithkin is a traitor ! He set them free ! ” 

Instantly there was a hoarse cry from all 
over the Hall: “ Catch Smithkin ! Punish the 
traitor! ” 

“ Save me, Prince! ” cried the terrified sol¬ 
dier. 

“All right,” said Harry, “reach me your 
hand.” And grasping the outstretched hand, 
he swung Smithkin up beside him, on top of 
the wardrobe. 


CHAPTER XI. 


THE SECRET DOOR. 

Smithkin escaped not a moment too soon, 
for as he dropped in a heap beside Harry, a 
hundred angry Gnomes were brandishing their 
spears beneath. Smithkin was no coward 
when he had half a chance to fight and de¬ 
fend himself, and he brandished his own spear 
in return, and yelled defiance at the constantly 
increasing crowd. 

The piece of furniture on which the be¬ 
sieged ones were standing, looked like a long 
wardrobe, and for convenience sake we shall 
call it a wardrobe, although really it had 
been used by the Pin Elves as a place for 
keeping their spears when they were not in 
use. It seemed low to Harry, but it was too 
high for even the tallest of the Gnomes to 
reach the top with his spear; so, for the pres¬ 
ent, the boy and his two companions were 


The prince of the pin elves. 109 

secure from attack. Fortunately, the Pin Elves 
and Gnomes are unable to hurl their spears 
at an enemy. They can fight at close quar¬ 
ters only, by thrusting with the weapon. 

Kitey, being unarmed, was directed by Harry 
to stand back against the wall and keep a 
sharp lookout over the Hall, in order to pre¬ 
vent any sudden surprises. 

The King of the Gnomes by this time was 
seated upon the throne, and on each side of 
him sat Cattisack and Grumpy. The three 
were earnestly talking together. 

“Prince,” Kitey said in a low voice, so as 
not to be heard by the Gnomes below, “ the 
King of the Gnomes seems to be consulting 
with our former King and the Lord of the 
Safety-Pin. Now he is giving orders to his 
attendants, and they are running down the 
Hall. Look, Prince ! they are bringing a table 
and chairs, and are going to climb up here! ” 

“ Don’t get excited, old man,” said Harry. 
“ I’ve been waiting for them to do something 
of the kind.” 

The boy stood calmly with his right hand 
in his coat-pocket while the Gnomes dragged a 
table up to the wardrobe and clambered upon it. 


110 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

“Now, Smithkin! ” he cried, “poke them 
with the butt end of your spear! ” And at the 
same time he drew forth his little pop-gun and 
fired pointblank at the foremost Gnome. The 
cork struck the fellow between the eyes, and 
over he went backwards, knocking half a dozen 
of the other Gnomes off the table as he fell. 
The unexpected report of the pistol, and the 
disastrous result of the shot, threw the Gnomes 
on Smithkin’s side off their guard, and with a 
quick, vigorous thrust of his long spear-handle, 
the soldier knocked four more from the table. 

Quick as a flash Harry recovered the cork, 
which was attached to the pistol by a cord, 
and setting the spring, he pushed the cork in 
as tight as he could, and fired again. The 
report was so loud that the few Gnomes still 
upon the table tumbled off from sheer fright. 

The King of the Gnomes, seeing that this 
attempt had failed, gave orders to try another 
plan for dislodging Harry and his companions. 
Soon a number of Gnomes began bringing in 
armfuls of wood, which they piled near the 
wardrobe. 

“They are going to burn us out!” cried 
Kitey. 



ON THE WARDROBE. 






















































































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m • 






































































































































































THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. I 13 

“ Don’t worry ! ” said Harry. “ They can’t 
do it.” 

And so it turned out, for whenever a Gnome 
ventured near and endeavored to place some 
wood against the foot of the wardrobe, Harry 
would lean over and extend his right hand, 
“ pop! ” would go the pistol, and over the 
Gnome would tumble. 

Perhaps if a large number of them had 
rushed forward simultaneously, they might have 
accomplished their purpose; but they were 
afraid of the mysterious little weapon, that 
made such a terrible noise and knocked them 
senseless at a distance of several feet, and only 
a bold fellow now and then dared venture 
within range. 

Finally, a messenger came with new orders 
from the King, and the Gnomes began laying 
the wood in a semicircle about eight feet from 
the wardrobe and extending from the wall on 
one side around to the wall on the other side. 

“ They’re going to smoke us out! ” exclaimed 
Smithkin. “ Hit them with your magic weapon, 
Prince! ” 

Harry tried to do so, but the string was too 
short to allow the cork to reach any of them. 


I 14 THE prince of the pin elves. 

“ Never mind,” said he; “ that little pile 
of wood is too far away to hurt us. There 
won’t be smoke enough from it.” 

Smithkin shook his head dolefully. “Don’t 
laugh until they are done ! ” he said. 

Harry did laugh contemptuously, however, 
while the Gnomes set fire to the wood; but 
his laugh soon faded away as some of the 
Gnomes sprinkled a powder on the flames, and 
immediately a dense, black, stifling smoke slowly 
arose and curled towards them from all sides. 

“ I say, boys, they have us this time ! ” he 
cried in dismay. “ We can’t stand this ; we’ll 
have to jump down and fight in about half a 
minute.” 

“ Look here, Prince Harry,” said Smithkin, 
beckoning and pointing down ; “ here is a door 
in the wall close to my end of the wardrobe; 
perhaps we can slip through it and escape.” 

“ I don’t see any door,” said Harry, stooping 
down, and looking at the place indicated. 

“ You can’t see it,” replied the soldier, “ but 
it’s there, and if you will quietly lift me down 
and give me your door-pin, I will open it.” 

Just then a thick cloud of smoke enveloped 
them, and set them coughing and choking, so 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. I 1 5 

Harry hastily lowered himself to the floor and 
lifted his two companions down. The curtain 
of smoke completely screened them from the 
Gnomes on the other side of the fire. 

Smithkin knew the exact spot in which to in¬ 
sert the door-pin, — for when he was commander 
of the King’s body-guard, it was often his duty 
to use the various secret doors and passages of 
which the common Pin Elves were ignorant, 
-— and the three comrades quietly passed into 
an outer passage and closed the door behind 
them, without any one in the Hall knowing of 
their escape. 

In perfect silence the soldier led them on¬ 
ward, until they found themselves in the cham¬ 
ber under the rock in Central Park. 

“Now, Prince,” said Smithkin, “you know 
where we are. What are your orders ? ” 

“ You and Kitey wait here a moment,” re¬ 
plied Harry, “ and I will go around through the 
Passage of the Toad and see what the Gnomes 
are doing.” 

The boy hurried away and soon came to 
the spot in the main passage where the toad 
was tied up. 

« Poor little hoppy ! ” he cried, “you’re having 


II6 THE PRtNCE OF THE PlN ELVES. 

a hard time of it. I’ll set you free from that 
old rag, at any rate.” 

Having untied the cloth in which the toad 
was imprisoned, he ran on to the end of the 
passage, mounted the steps, and gently opened 
the trap-door on a crack. Just as he did so, he 
heard the King of the Gnomes say, “ Extinguish 
the fire! The knaves must be suffocated by 
this time.” 

Harry peeped through, and saw the Gnomes 
putting out the semicircle of flame. Gradually 
the black smoke cleared away, and the Gnomes 
discovered to their amazement that the top of 
the wardrobe was empty. 

“ Glumdozo ! ” roared the King, “ the varlets 
have escaped ! ” 

Search was made inside of the wardrobe and 
all around it, but of course it was in vain. 

At this point Cattisack, the former King of 
the Pin Elves, leaned over and whispered to the 
King of the Gnomes, “Your Majesty, I think 
they must have escaped through a secret door 
near where they were.” 

Harry heard the whisper, for he could almost 
touch the two Kings from his place of conceal¬ 
ment. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. II/ 

The King of the Gnomes forthwith com¬ 
manded his soldiers to institute a strict search 
for the fugitives, but before the searchers left 
the Hall, the boy had softly closed the trap-door, 
and was on his way back to Smithkin and 
Kitey. 

“ Quick! ” said he to the soldier, as he ran 
up to them, “ lead the way at once to the 
prison.” 

Smithkin did so, and they reached the room 
before any of the Gnomes appeared. 

“ Now,” said Harry, taking from his pocket 
the lantern-box which Kitey had loaned him, 
“ open the trap-door, and we’ll go down and 
rescue Wamby and the men with him.” 

“ Oho! ” exclaimed Smithkin, “ so that is 
your plan.” 

They quickly made their way over the course 
Harry and Wamby had travelled during the 
boy’s former visit, and when they came to the 
edge of the lake they turned off and proceeded 
to the chamber with the great trap-door. Open¬ 
ing the door that led to the stairs under the 
incline, they ran down the long flight of stairs 
and emerged in the dungeon where Wamby and 
the rest were confined. 


I 1 8 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

A joyous shout greeted them : “ Hurrah ! 
here’s the Prince ! Here’s little Kitey ! Here’s 
old Smithkin! ” 

Harry glanced around, and a disappointed 
look came into his face. “ You are not 
armed ! ” he exclaimed. 

“ No,” Wamby made reply, “ we found the 
armory without any trouble, but it was empty; 
the Gnomes had removed all of the weapons, so 
we were unable to arm ourselves. Then, as we 
were on our way to join you and your men, the 
rascally Gnomes dumped us down here.” 

“Yes,” said Harry, “I know about that. I 
am sorry, though, that you are unarmed, for 
that leaves us with only a thousand men ready 
to fight, and we cannot conquer the Gnomes 
with that number. However, let us get out of 
this hole, and join the thousand men in the 
antechamber above. Come quietly ; there may 
be Gnoman spies about.” 

The poor fellows were glad enough to be 
released from their prison, and when they 
reached the antechamber adjoining the Grand 
Reception Hall they were warmly welcomed 
by their thousand comrades. 

Leaving Kitey to tell the elves all that had 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. I 19 

thus far happened, Harry drew Wamby and 
Smithkin aside for consultation. 

“ What is there to be done now ? ” he asked, 
after he had given Wamby a brief history of 
what had befallen them. “ We have but a 
thousand men that are armed, and even they 
are practically useless, for the door into the 
Hall is bolted on the inside.” 

“You might go around through the Passage 
of the Toad,” said Wamby, “and see what is 
taking place in the Hall.” 

“ How can I get there ? ” Harry inquired. 

“ Why,” replied Wamby, “ one of the small, 
branching passages runs from this antecham¬ 
ber. The door is over in that corner. When 
the passage was built, the intention was to 
afford means of escape in various directions, 
so the small passages branch out on all sides.” 

“Then I’ll go down at once,” said Harry. 
“ You quietly tell your men to be prepared 
for anything that may happen, and to be ready to 
obey without questioning any orders I may give.” 

When the boy reached the trap-door behind 
the throne, the King of the Gnomes was on the 
point of receiving a report from his men, who 
had been searching for the three fugitives. 


20 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


Harry silently chuckled as he heard the King 
demand, “ Have you found the fugitives ? ” 

“ If it please Your Majesty,” was the answer, 
“ we have looked everywhere and can discover 
no traces of them whatever.” 

“ Hum ! hah ! ” growled the King. 

He stroked his beard for several minutes, 
and then arose, saying, “ Prepare the tables 
for a banquet on our return in half an 
hour.” 

Having given this command, he left the Hall 
with his attendants, and his example was shortly 
followed by all of the Gnomes except the ser¬ 
vants who were to prepare the banquet. These 
began to put the tables in order, and then pres¬ 
ently brought in dishes of all kinds of tempting 
food. 

The sight made Harry’s mouth water, for he 
had had nothing to eat for a long time and was 
ravenously hungry. 

“ I’ll run out and capture some victuals again 
when the Hall is empty,” he said to himself, 
smacking his lips in anticipation. But as he 
waited, a picture of Wamby and the other Pin 
Elves in the antechamber rose before him. 
a Poor little beggars ! ” he thought. ‘‘They 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


I 2 I 


are more hungry than I, and I’m going to give 
them a share of the food, even if I get caught 
by the Gnomes.” 

When all had been prepared, the servants 
withdrew as before, and left the Hall empty. 
This was the opportunity for which Harry was 
looking. He darted forth from his hiding-place 
to the door of the antechamber, drew back the 
bolts, and called to the Pin Elves, “ A hundred 
of you that are unarmed, come quickly ! ” 

Leading them to the tables, the boy said, 
“ Each one of you take a dish of food and run 
back with it.” 

They did so right willingly, and in a trice 
the tables were entirely cleared of provisions. 
Harry secured a dish of food for himself, and 
having bolted the door again behind the Pin 
Elves, in order to throw the Gnomes off the 
scent, he ran back to his own place of con¬ 
cealment beneath the trap-door in the Passage 
of the Toad. 

The King of the Gnomes was in a towering 
passion when he came in and found that his 
dinner had again mysteriously disappeared. He 
banished all of the servants to the mines, 
greatly to Harry’s delight, for every Gnome 


122 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


thus banished weakened the power of the 
Gnomes and added to the strength of the 
Pin Elves. Then the King ordered other ser¬ 
vants to prepare a fresh meal, and he and his 
attendants left the Hall once more. 

“ Ho, ho ! old fellow! ” cried Harry to him¬ 
self, shaking his fist at the King as he passed 
out; “ I have a scheme this time that will up¬ 
set your plans entirely, and will probably send 
you below, where you belong. Just you wait 
awhile, and I’ll furnish sauce, and perhaps 
guests also, for your dinner! ” 


CHAPTER XII. 


A MIGHTY BATTLE. 

When the King of the Gnomes had gone, 
the new servants hurried away to the kitchen 
to help the cooks in the preparation of a second 
meal. As soon as the door closed behind them, 
Harry sprang into the room, shut the trap-door, 
and stealthily made his way to the door of the 
antechamber. Quietly slipping back the bolts, 
he opened it and beckoned the Pin Elves to 
enter the Hall. 

“ Don’t make a noise! ” he cautioned, as 
they swarmed in. “ Those of you armed with 
spears take your station on each side of the 
main door opposite. Smithkin, you take com¬ 
mand of them. A couple of you others run 
to the door leading to the kitchen, and bolt it 
so that the servants cannot return. And you, 
Kitey, see if there are any weapons in that 


124 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

wardrobe, and if you find any, distribute them 
as far as they will go.” 

There were only about a hundred spears in 
the wardrobe, and Kitey distributed them among 
a hundred picked elves. These Harry placed 
in a line at the foot of the steps leading up to 
the dais. Then he seated Wamby on the throne, 
and directed the great body of unarmed elves 
to stand upon the raised dais on each side of 
and behind the throne. 

Having thus disposed his forces, Harry said : 
“ You hundred men are King Wamby’s body¬ 
guard. Under no consideration are you to 
leave him. You must protect his person, and 
also do what you can to protect your unarmed 
comrades on the dais. Now, Kitey, you and I 
will go to help Smithkin.” 

Brave little Kitey had selected a terrible- 
looking spear about twice as long as himself, 
and with this resting upon his shoulder he trotted 
gleefully beside Harry down the long Hall. 

The boy took his stand by the side of the 
door where the hinges were, so that he would 
be behind the door when it opened, and having 
placed Smithkin upon the other side, and directed 
the elves to keep close to the wall and to do 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 25 

nothing till he gave the word, he awaited the 
coming of the Gnomes. 

Thus there were ranged close to the wall on 
one side of the doorway, Smithkin and five hun¬ 
dred elves; and on the other side, Harry and 
Kitey with five hundred elves. 

Presently the door swung open, and the ad¬ 
vance body-guard of the King of the Gnomes 
marched into the Hall without looking to the 
right or left. The elfin soldiers remained like 
statues ; no one moved a muscle. Harry waited, 
every nerve in his body quivering with sup¬ 
pressed excitement, until the advance-guard had 
passed and the King of the Gnomes himself 
stepped into the Hall. Then he slammed to 
the door, slipped the bolts into place, and 
shouted to the elves, “ Now, capture them ! ” 

Harry’s plan had been to admit the King of 
the Gnomes and take him prisoner, and shut 
out the main body of the Gnomes themselves. 
Then, with the King in his power, he could 
bring them speedily to terms. But his plan 
only partly succeeded. 

The Gnoman soldiers marched as soldiers 
should, with “eyes front,” and failed to see 
the ambuscade laid for them. But the two 


126 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

little attendants, who were bearing the King 
of the Gnomes’ beard, were darting their sharp, 
black eyes in all directions, and the moment 
they stepped into the Hall they espied Smithkin 
and his men. Instantly they dropped the King’s 
beard and rushed back into the passageway. 
That warned the King that something was 
wrong, and he hastily stepped back into the 
passage, just as Harry slammed the door shut. 
But, though the King had escaped being taken 
prisoner in the Hall, he was captured in another 
way; for the door shut upon his long, gray 
beard, and thus he was securely held fast. 

Harry, however, did not know about that, 
but supposed the King had escaped entirely. 
The boy, therefore, turned his attention to the 
Gnoman soldiers in the Hall. 

There were some two hundred of them, the 
flower of the Gnoman army, but of course they 
stood no chance against a thousand spry Pin 
Elves. Before they had time to recover from 
their surprise at discovering the trap they had 
walked into, they were surrounded by the elves, 
who, disdaining to use their spear-points, laid 
about them with the shafts of their weapons, 
and knocked them right and left without mercy, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 27 


and in short order had them overcome and 
disarmed. 

“ Bind them,” commanded Harry, “ and carry 
them over to yonder corner.” 

While they were thus engaged, a terrible 
shout arose from the elves upon the dais. 
Harry turned about and beheld Cattisack and 
Grumpy leading the main body of the Gnomes 
into the Hall, through the secret door by the 
wardrobe. 

“ Mercy on us ! ” cried the boy. “ I forgot all 
about that door! Quick, Smithkin, get your 
men in order! ” 

That was easier said than done, for the elves 
had dropped their spears while binding the 
Gnoman body-guards, and before they had all 
recovered their weapons, the foremost of the 
enemy was upon them. 

Harry in his excitement felt in the wrong 
pocket for his pop-pistol, and not finding that 
useful weapon, grabbed up a small table stand¬ 
ing near, and tilting it up on edge with the top 
in front of him, he ran forward, pushing it along 
the floor, and mowed down a wide swath through 
the ranks of the advancing Gnomes. Again he 
turned, and levelled another row of them, and 


128 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

yet again, sweeping another hundred of them 
down. 

But now they began scattering over the Hall, 
and adroitly dodging to the right and left as he 
charged impetuously back and forth, and his 
breath also began giving out, and he found him¬ 
self obliged to rest a moment. 

The instant he paused, a vast swarm of the 
Gnomes was about him, pricking his legs with 
their sharp spears, clinging by scores to his feet 
and ankles, and some of the bolder ones even 
starting to climb up his legs. Two or three 
times the boy shook them off, and by vigorous 
kicking managed to clear a little space about 
him. But finally he could endure the torment 
no longer, and with a whoop and yell he dashed 
through the dense mass and ran madly up the Hall. 

Right in his path stood Cattisack and Grumpy, 
grinning maliciously at his discomfiture and de¬ 
feat. That was more than any boy could stand. 
He made straight for them, and with a tremen¬ 
dous kick sent them flying through the air. Then 
he turned aside and vaulted upon the top of the 
wardrobe and sat down, out of breath, his legs 
smarting from a hundred spear-pricks. 

It gave him no little satisfaction, however, as 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 12 g 

he looked around, to observe that Cattisack and 
Grumpy were lying motionless where he had 
kicked them. They were not killed, however, 
but only disabled. 

Meanwhile, Smithkin and Kitey, with their 
companions, had been having their hands full. 
Two or three of them had failed to find their 
weapons, and had been immediately captured by 
the enemy; the remainder formed themselves 
in a circle, and for a while bravely repelled the 
charges of the Gnomes; but one after another 
went down before the repeated assaults, and at 
length the Gnomes broke the circle and caused 
a large number to seek safety in flight. 

This disheartened the remainder, and they, 
too, were on the point of fleeing, when Smith- 
kin thought of the two hundred and fifty Pin 
Elves of the old King’s body-guard, who had 
gone over to the Gnomes with him in the last 
battle. They were standing together in a body 
not far off, taking no part in the struggle. 
Smithkin knew they had turned traitors chiefly 
because of their personal attachment to him¬ 
self, and thinking he might win them back 
again, he waved his spear at them and gave the 
old battle-cry of the body-guard. 


130 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

The fellows were really longing to help their 
old commander, and upon hearing his familiar 
war-cry they charged the Gnomes madly and 
were soon beside Smithkin, fighting like tigers. 

Thus far the battle had been confined to the 
lower part of the Hall. But when the Gnomes 
found they made little impression upon Smith- 
kin’s band, a large body of them quietly with¬ 
drew, marched to the upper end of the Hall, and 
charged the line of men at the foot of the dais. 
These were, as I have said, picked elves, and 
being perfectly fresh, they repelled each charge 
without losing a man or giving way an inch. 

The Gnomes then tried a new mode of attack. 
They retreated a little distance, and forming 
themselves into a wedge-shaped mass, charged 
straight for the throne. 

Harry saw in a moment what they were 
about to do, and roared at the top of his voice, 
“ Smithkin ! run to help Wamby! he’s in 
danger! ” 

With a yell to his men to follow, the brave 
commander broke through the line of Gnomes 
in front of him, dashed up the Hall, and reached 
the attacking party just as they were forcing 
their way up the steps of the throne. Hearing 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


31 


his terrible battle-cry behind them, the Gnomes 
turned about and paused an instant. That 
brief pause saved Wamby from capture, for ere 
the Gnomes could turn again, Smithkin’s men 
in two bodies were attacking them on each 
flank. 



Smithkin himself forced his way to the com¬ 
mander of the Gnomes, who was standing on 
the lower step of the dais, directly in front of 
the throne. The Pin Elf commander, grasping 
his stout spear by the shaft, used it as a club 
or battle-ax, and every time he swung it back 


















132 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

and forth a number of Gnomes dropped sense¬ 
less to the floor. Quickly he hewed a path 
before him, until he was face to face with the 
Gnoman commander. Then with a triumphant 
cry he raised the spear aloft and aimed a mighty 
blow at the fellow’s head. But the commander 
of the Gnomes at the same time raised his own 
spear in both hands horizontally above his head 
and caught the blow upon it, and Smithkin’s 
weapon was broken in twain. 

Harry groaned aloud as he saw the defence¬ 
less plight of the Pin Elf champion. 

King Wamby had been sitting on the edge of 
the throne, watching the conflict with breathless 
interest. In his hand he held the sceptre, or 
golden pickax, which the King of the Gnomes 
had left by the throne. As soon as the acci¬ 
dent happened to Smithkin’s spear, he cried 
out, “ Here, Smithkin, take this ! ” and tossed 
the golden pickax to him. 

Smithkin deftly caught the implement by the 
handle, leaped upon the lower step of the dais, 
and smote the commander of the Gnomes such 
a terrible blow that he dropped senseless upon 
the floor. 

At the sight Harry was beside himself with 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 33 

joy, and impetuously catching the elfin hat from 
his head, he threw it high in the air with a loud 
hurrah. Instantly he realized what he had 
done, for as soon as the hat was off, Pin Elves 
and Gnomes disappeared from view. 


CHAPTER XIII. 


IN THE DARK. 

Harry’s hat fell in the midst of a group of 
Gnomes, and was taken possession of by one 
of them. Although the boy could see nothing, 
he could still hear what was going on in the 
Hall, and his heart sank within him at the 
hoarse shout of triumph that went up from 
the Gnomes as they captured the precious 
trophy. 

Wamby’s voice now came to his ears : “ A 
golden hat-pin and the richest jewel in my 
treasures to any elf who will regain my hat! ” 

For the hat really belonged to Warn by, and 
of course it was of vital importance for him to 
get it back. 

Presently Harry heard shrill voices crying, 
“ Smithkin to the rescue ! Well done ! Bravely 
done! Hurrah ! Smithkin has the hat! ” 

Then, after a moment of comparative quiet, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 35 

the Gnomes began to yell hoarsely, “ Here 
comes our King! We’ll conquer them now! 
Put the King on the throne! Down with the 
elves ! Down with Wamby ! ” 

At once a confused uproar sounded through¬ 
out the Hall, hoarse cries and shrill shrieks, the 
clashing of weapons, and the patter of many 
feet running to and fro. Above all could be 
heard ever and anon the fierce, defiant battle- 
cry of Smithkin, and wherever that cry came 
from, there was always the loudest din of battle. 

Then above the racket rose poor little 
Kitey’s shrill, piercing voice, “ Smithkin has 
lost his weapon ! Smithkin is down ! Oh, 
Prince Harry, Wamby is captured ! We are 
lost — lost ! ” 

Then followed a prolonged, hoarse shout from 
the triumphant Gnomes. 

Harry groaned once more, and shook his 
fist in impotent rage at the invisible enemy, 
whereat some of the Gnomes standing near 
laughed derisively. 

Presently he heard the King of the Gnomes’ 
gruff voice demand* “ Have Cattisack and 
Grumpy been revived ? Then bring them 
here, and seat them beside me.” 


136 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

All was still again for a few minutes, and 
then Kitey’s shrill voice piped forth, “ Look 
out, Prince, they’re trying to put a rope around 
your feet! ” 

Harry reached down and felt cords about his 
ankles, and immediately began to kick about vig¬ 
orously and to flourish his arms in the air. But 
he forgot how small the top of the wardrobe 
was, and stepping over the edge, he fell heavily 
to the stone floor and became unconscious. 

When he came to himself, his hands and feet 
were bound, and he was lying upon the floor in 
front of the throne. Though he saw no one, 
he could hear the King of the Gnomes talking 
in a low tone with ex-King Cattisack. Finally 
the King of the Gnomes said in a louder tone, 
“ Gather all of the Pin Elves together, and take 
them down to the mines.” 

The confused sounds which ensued, and the 
loud patter of many feet on the stone floor, in¬ 
dicated that the order was being carried out. 

When quiet was restored, the King of the 
Gnomes growled forth, “ And now what shall 
be done with that knave ? ” 

Though Harry could not see, he felt that 
the big right eye was upon himself, Cattisack 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 137 

seemed to make some suggestion, but he spoke 
too low for Harry to distinguish what he said. 

“ Just the thing!” exclaimed the King of the 
Gnomes. “ Open this trap-door behind me, and 
dump the fellow into the Passage of the Toad.” 

Forthwith the boy was unceremoniously 
dragged on his back up the steps of the dais 
and dumped feet foremost down the steps of 
the Passage of the Toad. Then the door was 
closed, and he was left in utter darkness. 

He lay quietly at the bottom of the stairway 
for a few minutes, trying to study out why he 
had been put in that place. Finally he laughed 
softly. 

“ Either they think I am afraid of the toad,” 
he said to himself, “ or else they believe I am 
bound too securely to get free myself, and that 
the Pin Elves will not dare to rescue me from 
this terrible passage.” 

After a hard struggle he succeeded in freeing 
himself from his bonds. Then he searched 
carefully in all of his pockets and found three 
matches. One of these he lighted, and made 
his way along the passage until he reached the 
spot where the smaller passages branched off, 
when his match went out, 


I38 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

“ I’ll save the other matches to find the pin¬ 
hole in the door,” said he. 

His object was to get out through the trap¬ 
door where he had first come down when he 
found Kitey. He believed that it would be easy 
to find the prison, and from there go down to 
the mines, where he could cheer up Wamby and 
the others and perhaps rescue them once more. 

“Now, which of these passages is the right 
one ? ” he thought to himself. “ Let me see. 
It was the third, — no, it was the second from 
this end ; yes, I’m sure that is the one.” 

He felt his way along the wall, entered the 
second opening, and slowly went along the 
passage in the dark until he came to the end. 
There he found the stairs, but instead of going 
up as he expected, they went down; conse¬ 
quently he missed his footing and also went 
down, — on his back, — for some little distance. 

“I took the wrong passage after all,” he 
muttered, as he recovered his footing. “ This 
is the one that leads to the river. I may as 
well go on to the end of it and take a look.” 

Cautiously he felt his way down the re¬ 
mainder of the steps and along the passage to 
the door at the end. There he lighted one 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 39 

of the remaining matches, found the pin-hole, 
and opened the door. Holding the lighted 
match above his head, he stepped out upon 
the little stone platform or landing-place, and 
carefully examined the wall of the tunnel. 
“ Even if I could find a boat,” he said, half 
aloud, “ I don’t believe I’d risk going down 
the rapids in the dark.” Consequently he de¬ 
cided to make the rest of the journey to the 
lake on foot. On the other side of the lake 
was thp kingdom of the Gnomes. The jour¬ 
ney in the dark was a long and severe one, 
but after several hours he arrived footsore 
and weary at the lake, and found the boat in 
which he and Wamby had before sailed across 
moored among a large fleet on the shore. To 
his surprise he discovered also that the wind was 
already turned on, but jumping on board the 
boat, he arrived safely on the Gnoman shore. 


CHAPTER XIV. 


SURPRISED. 

Harry could see no one, of course, as he 
walked towards the glowing furnaces, for he 
had no elfin hat upon his head. But the elves 
soon caught sight of him, and immediately be¬ 
gan dancing about in delight, shouting, “ Hur¬ 
rah ! hurrah ! Here is Prince Harry ! ” 

“ Somebody bring me a hat,” said Harry. 
“ I can’t see a single one of you.” 

At once a dozen of them ran forward and 
cried, “ Here, Prince, take mine! ” But be¬ 
fore he had a chance to get hold of one of 
them, he heard Kitey’s shrill little voice or¬ 
dering the others to stand aside. 

“ Here is Wamby’s hat, dear Prince,” cried 
Kitey. “ He left it in my care, for he knew 
you would come down some time.” 

“ There, that is better,” said Harry, as he 
140 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. I4I 

put the hat on his head. “ Now, little chap, 
let us hurry away to see Wamby.” 

They found His Majesty in the Grand Recep¬ 
tion Hall, and Harry told him everything that 
had befallen him since they were separated. 

“ I was sure you would come down soon,”' 
said Wamby, “ and have had all my workmen 
making spears. We have enough now to arm 
all of the elves; but how can we get across 
the lake ? The Gnomes not only keep the 
wind turned on over there, but also took away 
every vessel from this side.” 

“ I think we can remedy that,” replied Harry. 
“ Can we not cross the lake on rafts or. some 
vessels of our own construction ? Or better 
still, I will cross alone, for I shall only require 
one boat; then, once on the other side, I can 
bring over the boats for all the rest of 
you.” 

So the elves, with Harry’s help, constructed, 
in less than an hour’s time, a temporary boat, 
much like a raft, made of boards nailed to¬ 
gether, and just large enough for Harry to 
stand on. They also made a paddle, of a nar¬ 
row board with larger ends. 

The elves watched breathlessly as he with 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


difficulty propelled himself along, the wind 
against him, retarding his progress by many 
minutes. Undaunted and untiring in his ef¬ 
forts, he at last made his way to the other 
side of the lake, where his first act was to 
gather the boats together (for the Gnomes had 
left them unguarded, never supposing Harry 
could so boldly capture them), then to turn off 
the wind entirely, so that it should blow in 
neither direction. In safety he once more 
went back to his friends, and they all lost no 
time, except in grateful thanks to their Prince, 
in recrossing the lake to their destination. 

They made their way quickly to the ante¬ 
chamber, but were surprised to find no guards 
anywhere on their way. When they reached 
that place, and still found no sign of a guard, 
and discovered, furthermore, that the door of - 
the Reception Hall was bolted, Wamby ex¬ 
claimed, “ Some of the Gnomes must have seen 
us and carried word to the King! ” 

Harry considered a moment, then ordered 
Wamby to count the elves, to see if perchance 
there was a deserter in the camp. Sure enough, 
it was discovered that one of them was missing, 
and to their horror and dismay, they knew he 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 43 

must have escaped, without their notice, to warn 
the Gnomes. 

“ The traitor ! ” exclaimed Harry ; “ but there 
is no time to cry over spilled milk. What can 
we do now ? ” After a moment’s consideration 
he said, “ I have a plan. We can all go through 
the Passage of the Toad to the other side of 
the Reception Hall and enter the Hall by the 
secret door near the wardrobe.” 

“ But the toad ! ” said Wamby, in a trembling 
voice. 

“ You won’t have to go near him,” said 
Harry. “ He is, or was when I saw him last, 
at the foot of the steps leading to the trap-door 
under the Hall, and you needn’t go to that end 
of the main passage at all. We’ll simply go 
through the passage that runs from this ante¬ 
chamber, and that will take us within a step of 
the passage that runs up near the chamber 
under the rock in the park. Besides, I’ll go 
ahead and give warning if the toad is in the 
way.” 

It was finally agreed to try the plan, and 
they all made their way through safely, without 
a glimpse of the toad, and reached the secret 
door. But that also was bolted on the inside. 


144 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

“ They have been warned of our coming, as 
you feared,” said Warn by. 

“It is, indeed, so,” replied Harry. “Well, 
suppose you and the others remain here while 
I reconnoitre. Be ready to rush in if I open 
the door.” 

Borrowing Wamby’s lantern-box, the boy 
went back to the Passage of the Toad, and 
mounted the steps leading to the trap-door 
under the dais. Part way up the steps, he 
found the toad. The steps were very low, 
being built for little Pin Elves, so it was easy 
enough for a slender toad to hop from one to 
another. 

“ Halloa, little hoppy ! ” said Harry ; “ you’re 
getting spry, aren’t you ? Just keep up courage 
a little longer, old fellow, and you’ll be released 
from your prison.” 

Ascending to the top of the steps, the boy 
opened the door slightly, and peered forth. 

The Hall was full of Gnomes, most of them 
being armed. A large guard was stationed at 
each door, but the main body of soldiers was in 
the centre of the Hall. The King was upon the 
throne, while a few members of his body-guard 
were below on the floor a little to his left. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 45 

Harry studied the situation for a minute, and 
then he opened the trap-door, leaped clear over 
the throne, rushed by the body-guard to the 
wardrobe, and vaulted upon the top of that 
familiar friendly refuge. He thought that on 
top of the wardrobe he would be near the 
secret door, and that, by watching an oppor¬ 
tunity he could drop down, unbolt the door, 
and admit the Pin Elves. But now, to his 
chagrin, he noticed that the wardrobe had been 
moved some distance away from the secret 
door. 

The Gnomes, at his appearance, stood for a 
moment in silent astonishment, for they sup¬ 
posed him to be still lying bound where they 
had thrown him, in the Passage of the- Toad. 
But they speedily recovered themselves, and 
crowded around the wardrobe, yelling and 
howling with rage. 

“ Build a fire and smoke him out! ” growled 
the King. 

Immediately the wood was brought and laid 
in a semicircle and ignited, the powder was 
sprinkled upon the flame, and a dense, stifling 
smoke enveloped the boy. 

“ I must run for it,” thought he. 


146 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

He stood it as long as he could, and then he 
dropped to the floor, leaped through the smoke 
and flame, dashed through the mass of Gnomes 
about the fire, and ran towards the dais. 

The Gnomes had been expecting him to do 
this, and had prepared for it. They had twisted 
together a number of their strongest ropes, and 
several lengths of this twisted rope were laid in 
various places along the floor, with fifty Gnomes 
holding the end of each length. One of these 
pieces of rope was stretched near the lower step 
of the dais, directly across the path that Harry 
was taking. Just before he reached it, the 
Gnomes who were holding it by the ends raised 
it several inches above the floor and hauled it 
taut, and the boy tripped over it and fell sprawl¬ 
ing in front of the throne. 

Before he could recover himself, the rope 
was wound several times about his ankles, and 
another piece was slipped over his head and 
hauled so tightly about his neck as nearly to 
strangle him. Both of his hands were still 
free, and he managed to turn partly over and 
grasp the rope around his neck and pull upon 
one side of it hard enough to loosen it some¬ 
what. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. I47 

But by this time nearly all of the Gnomes 
were about him, and presently they had ropes 
wound around both of his hands, and he was 
beyond the power of struggling. 

Then a strange thing happened. Harry 
heard a shriek of terror from the throne, and 
looking up, he saw the King of the Gnomes, 
Cattisack, Grumpy, the Grand Prime Minister, 
and the Grand Recorder, all simultaneously fall 
forward from their seats and lie prone upon the 
steps of the dais. At the same time he felt 
the bonds about his neck and limbs loosen, and 
everything around him became as still as death. 


CHAPTER XV. 


ON TOP. 

For awhile the boy was too astonished to 
move. At first he thought it was some trick 
they were trying to play upon him; but when he 
slipped the bonds from his neck and limbs with¬ 
out meeting with any opposition, he concluded 
that it could be no trick, and accordingly sprang 
to his feet. 

All of the Gnomes at that end of the Hall 
were lying prostrate on the floor, rigid and 
motionless, as if paralyzed. Harry turned one 
of them over, and the little fellow lay staring 
vacantly upwards with open eyes, and seemed 
as lifeless as a china doll. 

At the further end of the Hall a number were 
running back and forth, and crying and shriek¬ 
ing as though they were mad. Putting his 
hand to his ear, Harry could hear them calling 
out in terror, “The toad ! the toad !” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


At the sound of those words Harry hastily 
glanced about him, and soon discovered the 
little hop-toad sitting on the floor close by, 
blinking his eyes as if half-blinded by the light. 
It seems that Harry had left the trap-door 
open, and the little animal had hopped up the 
steps-and out into the Hall just in the nick of 
time. 

The boy danced about the creature, and 
roared with laughter. “ Ha, ha, ha! what a 
lark ! ” he exclaimed. “The Gnomes are just as 
much afraid of a toad as the Pin Elves. Hur¬ 
rah, little hoppy, you’ve saved the country! 
Let me show you, old fellow, what a wonderful 
power you possess.” 

Picking up the animal, he ran to the other 
end of the Hall, and as soon as he approached 
the Gnomes there, they too fell down paralyzed 
with fear. 

“ Good enough ! ” Harry cried ; “ we can 
send them down below now! Let me call in 
Wamby and the rest.” 

He was on the point of unbolting the secret 
door, when luckily he bethought himself. 

“ Hold on ! ” he cried ; “ that won’t do ! We 
don’t want to paralyze the Pin Elves.” 


150 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 


He considered a moment, and then carried 
the toad back to the passage, and placing him 
on the top step, shut the trap-door. Then, 
standing close to the door, he waited until the 
Gnomes revived and tremblingly arose to their 
feet. 

“ Listen to me!” he called, in commanding 
tones. “ Cattisack and Grumpy, stand over 
there by the wardrobe and don’t move. Some 
of you fellows gather all of your weapons to¬ 
gether, and pile them in the corner yonder. 
And you,” — to the King of the Gnomes,— 
“ take off your crown and royal mantle, and 
place them on the step beside your sceptre. 
Now, all of you go through the antechamber 
and down to the shore of the lake and wait 
there. If you dare disobey my orders, I shall 
come after you with the toad! ” 

When the last Gnome had gone, the boy 
bolted the door behind them, and ran across 
and opened the secret door. “ Enter, King 
Wamby,” he said, “and take possession of your 
throne and kingdom.” 

But the Pin Elves shrank back with fear and 
loathing, and some of the nearest ones fell to 
the ground, crying, “ The toad ! the toad ! ” 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 15 I 

“ What ails you ? ” exclaimed Harry. “ There’s 
no toad here; I put him back in the passage 
and shut the door.” 

“Then you must have touched him, Prince,” 
said Kitey, “ and it is the odor left upon your 
hands that prostrates us.” 

“ What can I do ? ” Harry asked in per¬ 
plexity. 

“You must go down to the river and bathe 
your hands,” answered Kitey. “Nothing but 
running water will remove the deadly odor of 
the toad. Here is my lantern-box,” and he 
tossed the box at Harry’s feet. 

The boy picked up the box in his handker¬ 
chief, so as not to infect it with the odor, and 
hastened down to the underground river,- where 
he washed his hands, and then went back to 
the Reception Hall. 

Then he directed some of the elves to go 
down to the lake and take the Gnomes across 
to their own country, and then bring all of the 
ships back again. 

“Now, Prince,” said Wamby, “ I have given 
orders for a grand royal banquet to be prepared. 
Meanwhile, let us go to my private apartments 
and rest awhile,” 


152 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

Harry had not as yet seen that part of the 
Pin Elf dominions where the elves lived, and 
his eyes fairly hung out with astonishment as 
Wamby opened a number of doors and gave 
him glimpses of the luxurious private rooms of 
the Lord of the Safety-Pin, the Grand Prime 
Minister, the Knights of the Breast-Pin, and 
others of the nobility. 

But, of course, none of them could compare 
with the richness and splendor of the royal 
apartments. In three of these rooms the floor 
and walls were of pure gold. The first was the 
well-known green-and-gold room, where the King 
ordinarily held his court and dealt out justice; 
here was contained the famous couch cut from 
a single emerald. Next came the blue-and-gold 
room, with its lovely turquoises and pale blue 
silk hangings. Then, last, came the purple- 
and-gold room, where few were permitted to 
enter. It was lighted by the great royal 
amethyst that once belonged to the King of 
the Gnomes. On the floor a soft couch had 
been formed of many purple rugs for Harry’s 
repose, and the boy was very willing to throw 
himself down upon it, after his arduous labors. 

Presently little Kitey entered the apartment, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 53 

accompanied by Smithkin. The soldier, with 
some embarrassment, bowed low to Wamby, 
and said, “Your Majesty, I have come to ask 
pardon for having turned traitor, and also to 
restore to Prince Harry these jewels he gave 
me as a bribe.” 

He held out to Harry the three jewels, but 
the boy exclaimed, “Keep them, old chap; you 
have more than earned them by your bravery.” 

“You have also earned pardon for your for¬ 
mer treachery,” said King Wamby, with a gra¬ 
cious smile. “ Here is the reward I promised 
for the recovery of my hat,” handing him a 
rich jewel and a small gold hat-pin, “and I 
hereby restore you to your old position as com¬ 
mander of my body-guard.” 

When Smithkin had retired, Harry turned 
to Kitey and exclaimed, “ I say, little chap, why 
on earth didn’t you tell me the Gnomes were 
afraid of the toad ? ” 

“ Why,” replied Kitey, “I did tell you, long 
ago, when you first found me in the Passage.” 

“No, you didn’t,” said Harry. “ You simply 
said that elves were afraid of the animal.” 

“ But Gnomes are elves/' returned Kitey. 
“ They are bad elves, it is true; but all elves, 


154 THE prince of the pin elves. 

good or bad, are afraid of toads. I thought of 
course you knew that all the time.” 

“ I wish I had known it,” said the boy, “ for 
it would have saved us all that fighting. I 
could easily have settled the old Gnomes at the 
very beginning.” 

“ What shall we do with Cattisack and 
Grumpy ? ” inquired Wamby. 

“ Make them common Pin Elves,” said 
Harry; “ then they will have no power and 
influence to stir up trouble again.” 

Just then a messenger announced that the 
banquet was served, so they repaired to the 
Grand Royal Reception Hall. 

Harry hardly recognized it as the same room 
he had recently left. The golden throne, the 
marble steps of the dais, and everything else 
had been furbished and polished to look like 
new. Costly rugs of white mouse-skin nearly 
covered the floor. The lofty ceiling was newly 
festooned with many-colored gems that gave a 
rare and beautiful light. In the centre of the 
Hall were long rows of tables covered with all 
kinds of tempting viands in dishes of pure 
gold. The royal table was distinguished from 
the others by being placed upon a low platform, 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 55 

and also by the exquisite precious stones that 
adorned every one of the golden dishes. 

At the head of this table, where Harry was 
asked to seat himself, was a large pot-pie. The 
boy examined it curiously, and asked Wamby 
what it was. 

“ It is a blackbird pie,” said Wamby, “ es¬ 
pecially prepared for you. I have heard that 
mortals consider it a dainty dish to set before a 
king.” 

“ Good enough ! ” exclaimed Harry. “ ‘ Four 
and twenty blackbirds baked in a pie ! ’ Very 
kind of you, old chap, to take so much trouble 
just for me.” 

Without more ado they all fell to and had 
a royal time, feasting to their hearts’ content. 
When the dishes were well cleared of their 
contents, Harry made a speech, congratulating 
them on having effectually conquered the 
wicked Gnomes. Then Wamby arose and 
thanked the Prince, in the name of the Pin 
Elves, for his timely assistance. Then little 
Kitey made them all roar with laughter by a 
comical and witty address on “ Our Friend and 
Enemy, the Toad.” 

After the feasting and merriment was over, 


156 THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 

Harry declared that he must once more return 
to the upper earth. 

“ Why can’t you remain always with us, 
Prince Harry ? ” said Wamby. 

“ Thank you, little chap,” answered Harry, 
“ I’d like to stay, but I don’t want my folks to 
worry about me. By the way, I am going to 
take that poor little toad out with me.” 

“ Then you had better go out alone through 
the Passage of the Toad,” said Wamby. “ We 
should like to accompany you to the entrance, 
but of course we cannot do so if you carry the 
toad with you.” 

“Never mind,” said Harry, “I can bid 
you good-by here. I suppose after I am gone 
you will all resume your regular work of pin¬ 
gathering.” 

“Oh, yes,” replied Wamby; “and we shall 
be obliged to work hard, for many good pins 
have been ruined and lost in the late war. I 
notice some of my men are hardly able to keep 
their garments together, and I myself at present 
haven’t a pin to give one of them. Even a 
short war like ours is very expensive.” 

The little fellows were very sad at parting 
from their kind Prince. Harry had never seen 


the prince of the pin elves. 157 


any of the elves cry, but poor little Kitey 
looked as if he felt like crying, and even 
Smithkin winked hard as he bade him fare¬ 
well. 



“Til leave your hat on the dais, Wamby,” 
said the boy ; and rising from the table, he 
walked towards the trap-door. 

Before he reached it he heard Kitey’s shrill 
voice calling him, and the little fellow ran up 
to him saying, “Here’s my lantern-box to 
















I58 THE PRINCE OF THE FIN ElVFS. 

light you on the way. You can keep it, 
Prince, in memory of little Kitey.” 

“ Thank you, dear old chap,” said Harry, 
slipping the tiny box into his pocket. 

Mounting the steps of the dais, he turned 
and waved a final farewell to them all, and then 
took off Wamby’s hat and placed it on the 
throne, and entered the trap-door. Wrapping 
the toad in the piece of table-cloth that was 
still lying in the passage, he carried the little 
creature along with him. 

In the chamber under the rock he found his 
own hat where he had left it when he came 
down. Placing it on his head, he mounted the 
steps and peeped forth, and finding the coast 
clear, sprang out into the open air, and the 
trap door of its own accord shut noiselessly 
behind him. 

The first thing he did was to place the door- 
pin carefully in the little lantern-box for safe 
keeping. Then he opened the piece of cloth 
and placed the little toad on the ground, and 
sitting down upon the rock, watched him as 
he first blinked stupidly in the bright light. 
Master Toad soon, however, gave a tremendous 
hop, and disappeared in the bushes. 


THE PRINCE OF THE PIN ELVES. 1 59 

Harry arose and went home thoughtfully, 
almost wondering if he had been asleep and 
dreamed of all these strange adventures. But 
as he vividly recalled everything to mind, and 
especially as he felt in his pocket the little 
lantern-box given him by Kitey, he knew that 
he had actually been among the Pin Elves. 


THE END. 





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Timothy Dole. 

By Juniata Salsbury. With twenty-five or thirty illustrations 
from drawings and pen-and-ink sketches. 1 vol., i6mo, fancy cloth, 

Die title gives no clue to the character of the book, but the reader who begins the 
first chapter will not stop until he has finished the whole. The youthful hero, and 
a genuine hero he proves to be, starts from home, loses his way, meets with start¬ 
ling adventures, finds friends, kind and many, grows to be a manly man, and is 
able to devote himself to bettering the condition of the poor in the mining region 
of Pennsylvania, the scene of his early life and adventures. The book is not of 
the goody-goody order; although written with a purpose, and conveying a moral 
lesson, this feature is not obtrusive. It is a wholesome and vigorous book that 
boys and girls, and parents as well, will read and enjoy. 

Bebee: or, Two Little Wooden Shoes. 

By Louisa De La Rame (Ouida). With fifty illustrations, and 
a photo-gelatine frontispiece from original drawings by Etheldred B. 
Barry. 1 vol., square i2mo., cloth, gilt top, $1.25. 

A new and dainty edition of Ouida’s most exquisite and touching story. 

Published by L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY, 

196 Summer St., Boston, Mass. 


Books for Boys and Girls. 

The Young Pearl Divers. 

A story of Australian adventure by land and sea. By Lieut. B 
Phelps Whitmarsh. Author of “The Mysterious Voyage of th 
Daphne,” etc. i vol., cloth, i2mo, illustrated, $1.25. 

This is a splendid story for boys, by an author who writes in vigorous and interest¬ 
ing language of scenes and adventures with which he is personally acquainted. 

The book is illustrated with twelve full-page half-tones by H. Burgess, whose 
drawings have exactly caught the spirited tone of the narrative. 

Feats On The Fiord. 

By Harriet Martineau. A tale of Norwegian life, with about 
sixty original illustrations and a colored frontispiece. 1 vol., small 
quarto, cloth, gilt top, $1.25. 

This admirable book, read and enjoyed by so many young people a generation ago 
and now partially forgotten, deserves to be brought to the attention of parents in 
search of wholesome reading for their children to-day. It is something more than a 
juvenile book, being really one of the most instructive books about Norway and 
Norwegian life and manners ever written, well deserving liberal illustration and 
the luxury of good paper now given to it. 


The Fairy Folk of Blue Hill. 

A story of folk-lore by Lily F. Wessellioeft, author of 
“ Sparrow the Tramp,” etc., with fifty-five illustrations from original 
drawings by Alfred C. Eastman. 1 vol., i6mo, fancy cloth, $125. 

A new volume by Mrs. Wesselhoeft, well known as one of our best writers tor 
the young, and who has made a host of friends among the young people who have 
read her delightful books. This book ought to interest and appeal to every chi id 
who has read her earlier books. 


Miss Gray’s Girls; or, Summer Days in the Scottish 

Highlands. 

By Jeannette A. Grant. With about sixty illustrations in half¬ 
tone and pen-and-ink sketches of Scottish scenery. 1 vol., smal' 
quarto, cloth and ornamental side, $1.50. 

A pleasantly told story of a summer trip through Scotland, somewhat out of the 
beaten track. A teacher, starting at Glasgow, takes a lively party of girls, her 
pupils, through the Trossachs to Oban, through the Caledonian Canal to Inver¬ 
ness, and as far north as Brora, missing no part of the matchless scenery and no 
place of historic interest. Returning through Perth, Stirling, Edinburgh, Melrose, 
and Abbotsford, the enjoyment of the party and the interest of the reader never 
lag. With all the sightseeing, not the least interesting features of the book are 
the glimpses of Scottish home life which the party from time to time are fortun? e 
enough to be able to enjoy through the kindly hospitality of friends. 


Published by L. C. PAGE AND COMPANY, 
196 Summer St., Boston, Mass. 



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